The Strawhat's Bodyguard
by YAYAY317
Summary: After the events of Loguetown, a bodyguard joins the crew, convinced that Luffy will become Pirate King. His experiences in the New World help the crew grow stronger and more serious. Can he help protect the the Strawhats' from the dangers of the Grand Line and help fulfill their dreams?
1. Chapter 1 Loguetown

Fanfic The Strawhat's Bodyguard

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Chapter 1 Joining the Crew

OC's POV

I had just arrived at Loguetown. The place where Gold Roger was born and died. The town of the beginning and the end. I couldn't help but be excited.

I was born around the time when Roger just started his journey in the Grandline and conquered it. The story is crazy. Being born in the New World, you see firsthand so many strong and impossible things.

As a former bodyguard at Mary Geoise, you meet tons of strong people and exposed to many dangerous situations. You have live in hopes you don't have to fight the fishmen who were normally ten times stronger than humans. Monsters who could destroy warships. People who can predict the future with the observation Haki. Pirates who can transform into animals. Pirate Commanders who can manipulate elements like fire. Pirate warlords who manipulate sand or shadows. Admirals who can shoot magma, ice, or light.

And then there's Gold Roger, from the weakest sea, conquered it all.

You can't help but feel drawn to this town knowing the man, the legend known as the Pirate King, was from here.

I was going to see the execution platform for sure, but I wanted that to be the last place I to see before I left.

The ship I arrived from had left. I went to nearest tavern and checked in. I put my backpack near in the room I was staying at before starting my trip around town. I wandered around the town not knowing where to go. I chuckled. It was quite symbolic. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do now. I had just "quit" my job about six months ago because the people I were guarding were stuck up and I couldn't take it anymore. I probably should have quit eight years ago when I first started. But I couldn't. Too scared of the consequences. And because of that, I did things I regret doing. I have to live with that for the rest of my life.

I shook my head. Enough of that. I'm not part of that life anymore. The last six months I've been traveling around from the world alone. It was the most fun I've ever had despite feeling lonely sometimes.

I turned around a corner and found a bar named Gold Roger. I smiled, thinking that this must be fate.

I had no idea how accurate that was.

* * *

I walked into the bar seeing an old and mean-looking man. I carefully analyzed my surroundings. This place was old and dusty.

"Hi" I called out.

The old man stared at me and curtly replied, "We're closed kid." He pointed out the door, telling me to scram.

I took a breath. Trying to be polite, I said, "I'm not a kid. I'm 26. I'm just looking for stories about Gold Roger. I figured maybe this place would have some."

At that, the old man smiled and pointed to a seat. He said, "Then, have a seat. Roger proclaimed in this bar that he was going to be pirate king." Just as he was about to start, we heard footsteps and he sighed having been interrupted.

A boy with a red vest and straw hat came down. I recognized him as Monkey D. Luffy because of the new bounty released. It was a job habit of mine to always check the newspaper because of my job.

Information was important. Lack of information could lead to death. If you know who you're facing, you know what their abilities are. Normally, I knew what to expect of pirates, however, not this time around.

Because he was new, the newspaper didn't really say too much about his abilities. It just gave him a picture of him smiling and that he beat some other pirates. It was too vague. Lots of pirates these days caused havoc and couldn't be trusted. I was preparing to defend myself just in case.

However, like the picture appeared, the boy didn't look menacing.

Luffy spoke, "The sign outside says Gold Roger. Is that the name of this place?"

The old man replied, "Get out. This isn't a place for kids. And we're closed right now."

Luffy looked at me. He seemed to analyze me before saying, "But why is he here?" pointing at me.

The store owner retorted, "Because I was going to tell him a story. Now get out."

Luffy pouted. "I was just wondering. I'm lost. I wanted to go see the execution platform." I smiled at that seems like he had the same idea I had. I sensed no hostility and lowered my guard down. He continued. "Can you tell me how to get there?" He noticed a skull in front of the old man and asked "What is that there?"

The old man smiled at me as if to tell me this was related to Roger. "This is the skull of a man known as the 'Killer Giant'. A man who killed hundreds of pirates. He was a devil. But Gold Roger fought and killed him." I smiled.

Luffy asked "He did?"

"It's a famous tale. He was a big, rough guy with a big sword. The battle was decided pretty quickly. This gash was what killed him. He was really something. His last words were." He paused for dramatic effect. " Roger. No one can touch you. I praise you as the eternal pirate.' "

I smiled at that. Luffy was amazed. He stated "Wow awesome."

The bar keeper continuted. "King of the eric pirates. Kung fu pirates. All were great men. But lost to Gold Roger. Wanna hear more. Nowadays people don't want to hear that more."

I nodded while Luffy excitedly yell "Tell me more." Even though the bartender wasn't a good story teller, you couldn't help but feel captivated to these stories.

The old man closed his eyes. "Pesky kid. Gold Roger... Back then... No even today... He's the only pirate who truly didn't fear the dangers of the Grand Line."

I became very solemn hearing that. I knew how true that statement was. After living there for 26 years, I became accustomed of the dangers of the Grand Line. I had personally seen pirates flee the Grandline and even heard that rumors that even pirate warlords were hiding because of the Yonko. The Yonkos were probably waiting for the opportune moment to fight. Well, at least the Big Mom pirates and the Beast pirates were. The other two were not as threatening. The Grand Line was a dangerous place. One had to be properly prepared there.

However, I turned to Luffy. He was determined. "He was. Cool huh? Gold Roger. Pirates should try to be like him. That's why I went out to sea... To go to the Grand line and find One piece. I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

At that statement, I gasped. Right when he said that, I couldn't help but feel that Roger had actually said those words with the same conviction.

I shook my head doubting those words. He's a rookie. He doesn't know the dangers.

The bar owner said, "That's a crazy thing to say. How could you say that here in this place?"

"What. But I'm just telling the truth." Luffy pointed out as a matter of a fact, which I couldn't help but chuckle hearing that and his naive nature.

The older man looked and said, "Kid, after having a customer like you, I feel like closing the shop a little." He started to walk toward the counter. I looked at the man carefully at that.

Confused, Luffy waved his hand and said "Don't do that for me."

"It's decided. There's nothing you can do to change my mind. It's been a long time since I had a customer. Drink's on the house." I looked at him. Seems the old man believes that Luffy will be pirate king.

"I don't drink."

"Is that so? Then how about this? Kanpai to him, to the eternal pirate king."

"Ok."

The two toasted and drank. I noticed Luffy closed his eyes unaware of the careful look that the old man had given him. The old man then smiled in an approving manner.

I became lost in my thoughts thinking over the recent events. I couldn't help but believe Luffy's declaration right when he first said. At the same time, I knew better. I knew the risks and the dangers of the Grand Line. However, one look at Luffy could make me believe in those words. I took a deep breath. In a moment that even surprised me, I spoke out, saying, "Hey. I'm going to go the execution platform. Want to come with me?"

Luffy looked at me excitedly and nods his head. "Sure thanks! I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the next Pirate King." He extended his hand at me.

I laughed at that. I had heard him say those words just a minute ago and still those words sounded so believable. I smiled at him and took his hand, giving a firm handshake. "My name's Kaiya Yuuto."

* * *

Scene Break Outside

As we slowly made our way to the platform, Luffy started making some small talk. "So Yuuto, what do you do?"

I smiled realizing that this pirate was genuinely kind hearted. "I'm a former bodyguard. I'm currently traveling around the world by myself." I left out some information about myself, but it's ok. It wasn't too important.

He didn't need to know what else I did outside of my official job description.

"Really, so cool. Did you protect princesses, princes, kings and queens? Get in danger all the time."

I laughed, saying "Yeah. Something like that." If only he knew all that I did and what it consisted of.

"Neat. You should join my crew."

I laughed at that. "Are you serious? You're so trusting." That actually did not sound too bad and I was confident that my talents and experience could help. I just didn't know much about being a pirate other than how other pirates acted.

"Shishishi. You're a good guy."

Luffy was turning out to be a good judge of character. He may be a simple man but he could read people very well. I smiled. "Let me think about it ok." I was considering how many crew members he had. Surely, he must have a decent size if he was serious about his dream.

"Well, counting you, we have six."

I didn't know whether to laugh or to facepalm. "So five total right now." I smiled politely. I stopped walking, about 160 meters away from the platform. A large crew is helpful for the Grand Line to take care of duties so people do not get tired out more. I was hoping it was about quality. Wait, was I seriously considering joining the crew now? I looked at Luffy again analyzing what I knew so far.

Simple. Naive. Lofty goal. I sighed at that. Not a good combination. He didn't realize what possible monsters there were in the Grand Line waiting to destroy him. I did not want to live with disappointment if we failed. I was about to say no until I realized that I heard a "Whoa!" I looked up and saw Luffy standing up on the platform. Not good. If he's my captain, he's going to be a lot of trouble. I doubt anyone would normally think this was a good idea.

I was about to warn him and got cut off. "So this is what the pirate king saw! Before he died."

"Hey you! Get down this instant!" I saw a police officer warning. I was starting to face palm already. I noticed a suspicious woman with a gorgeous body carrying a big club approach the police officer. I tense up anticipating what was going to happen.

The woman hit the police officer and yelled, "I've been looking for you, Straw Hat. It's been awhile." Her voice did not match her body. It sounded way too rough, fitting for someone who is much larger than the woman with the hour glass figure.

I then noticed how much the officer had flown away. I sighed. I thought this town would be peaceful. That woman is stronger than she looks. I wasn't looking to get into a fight in this town but it seemed unavoidable. Especially now with more men coming together. People started to run away.

Taking a breath, I analyzed my situation. It seemed that there were more people getting ready to help the woman. Seems like I would have to start fighting soon.

I hope I was ready. The last 6 months, I haven't fought.

I turned around to focus back on the conversation. The woman continued. "It's Alvida. I ate the Sube Sube fruit. After eating that, not much has changed other than losing my freckles."

Looking at Luffy, it seemed like it was a lot more than just freckles. I remember reading from an encyclopedia that the fruit did make its users skinny. I shook my head for two reasons. One, Alvida probably didn't have a large bounty. Two, it's a pity knowing that her body is fake.

Yeah. I like appreciating a woman's body. Boobs were obviously my favorite, but there were plenty of other attractive parts of a woman like eyes, shoulders, legs, thighs, belly button, stomach, butt, and fingers.

I wasn't a womanizer or a pervert who always wanted to see women naked. I prefer my women clothed. They can show some skin or cleavage, but that's about it. There were plenty of beautiful women I met around the world. I always treated them with respect. I never fooled around and gave few compliments. I think the princesses and queens I met realized that I was being genuine with those compliments after getting to know me a while.

I had seen those princesses and queens get angry with perverts. All the women I have ever met in my life are super scary and become super strong especially when perverts are involved.

Anyways, I never really had time to be in an actual relationship with my job. I've been on dates but never felt that I was in love with them. It was just a physical attraction. I only had a serious crush when I was 11 on a girl who was 3 years older than me. Nothing ever came close.

I've kissed women, just not princesses. Kissing princesses were huge no nos in my line of work.

Being kissed by a princess on the cheek doesn't count. They were thanking me for how I protected them.

Right?

Anyways, I digress and started paying attention to what was going on. Someone had jumped from the building behind the platform and locked Luffy in the gallows.

This was not looking good. I couldn't help but feel the need to protect Luffy. However, I couldn't move. I had an instinct that told me to watch what would happen. As if I needed to see this with my own eyes.

A clown ran past me saying "Good job Cabaji" He stopped before the platform.

Luffy cried out "Buggy!" I was guessing the situation was that Luffy beat Alvida and Buggy before and that's how he got 30 million. Judging from these two and their actions, they weren't super strong.

More pirates surrounded Buggy. He yelled, "Let's begin your execution!"

I was about to go fight when I felt more people coming. There were marines that moving as if to establish a perimeter around the town square.

I relaxed. I decided to hang around as a crowd formed to watch. I notice Luffy struggling. I smile, knowing that at least he's fighting for his freedom.

Luffy shouts out, "I can't scratch my nose."

Nevermind. Let me add dense to what I knew about Luffy.

Buggy appeared on top of the platform crying out "For the time of angering me, I sentence you, Monkey D. Luffy, to a flashy execution."

"This is the first time I've ever been to an execution." he said blankly.

Let me also add idiot.

"You're the one who's being executed here." yelled out Buggy. Luffy was shocked.

Buggy and Luffy start arguing with each other. Both of them seeming to have shark teeth around and bicker around 4 minutes.

I'm starting to think that Luffy's also annoying. I look around. The marines seemed to stay out of sight as if waiting for this to finish.

Buggy composes himself and draws out his sword. He asks Luffy, "Any last words?"

Luffy looks around the crowd and finds me. He yells the loudest I've ever heard him "I'm the man who'll become the pirate king!"

In that moment, I feel a chill throughout my body. There's his dream again. He says it so convincingly that I have to believe him.

I believe this simple, naive, dense idiot will accomplish this dream.

All the reservations against joining the crew disappeared. Because I believe... no **know** that Luffy will become Pirate King. Well, if Luffy's going to become Pirate King, then I'm going to help. It sounded good to me to be known as the Pirate King's Bodyguard.

I immediately start running toward the platform, yelling "Wait! Stop!"

Turns out I wasn't the only one running. I see a blonde boy in a blue dress shirt and a green haired man carrying three swords also running.

"Zoro! Sanji! Yuuto!"

Both of his friends looked around and saw me. I made eye contact with them and nodded to them to signal to them that I'm going to help.

Buggy smiled and yelled maniacally, "Just watch carefully from there! Witness the last moments of your captain!"

I was punching and kicking my way through, but there were too many pirates. I didn't have my equipment with me to speed things up. I looked up and saw Luffy smiling and saying "Sorry. But it looks like I'm dead."

Two things happened. One, it started raining and immediately, lightning had hit the platform, setting it on fire. However, in mind, I was focused on the second thing that happened.

Two, I froze, realizing that this was exactly like how the history books told of Roger's death. He died smiling. I don't know whether it was my imagination, but Luffy looked like Roger at that moment according to the history books. At the same exact spot.

I watched on in shock finally realizing the platform was destroyed. Luffy then appeared casually laughing. "Looks like I did survive! How lucky!" He didn't to seem to have any marks on him.

I had reached to Luffy first. I couldn't help but smile. It seemed that my captain was also an extremely lucky man.

Sanji and Zoro reached both of us. The swordsman asked, "Who's he?"

Luffy was about to speak, but I interrupted him. "Kaiya Yuuto. I just joined." I made my decision right when I saw Luffy survive. What just happened cannot be just a coincidence. It must have been fate.

Luffy smiled, hearing that. "He's a bodyguard, Zoro."

I laughed sheepishly because I had just done a terrible job protecting my captain. "Former bodyguard." To be fair, I didn't consider him my captain until maybe a minute ago and I had been casually traveling around the world the last six months.

Zoro had glared at me. Seems like he's protective.

Sanji coughed, "I'm Sanji. Let's talk about our bodyguard who's terrible at his job later. We need to run." I laughed. I wasn't going to live this down. To be fair, I would have made fun of myself too.

We began running towards the docks past the shocked crowd who had seen the whole thing. I focused and warned my new crew, "We're going to have marines intercept us soon."

Soon enough, we met a row of marines ready to fire at us. Zoro and Sanji immediately made quick work of them. I smiled. Seems like I have strong crew mates with good potential.

However up ahead, I noticed a strong presence ahead and a stronger presence further ahead. As we ran closed, we saw it was a young female marine with a sword out. Zoro made a signal that was clear to us that he would take care of it. He clashed with the woman using only one sword. "Go ahead." He called out to us.

We nodded. However as we ran past, Sanji says "That brute harms a lady!"

It seems that Sanji was kind of like me. However, I was willing to hurt a woman. There were many dangerous women out there.

Luffy quickly wrapped his arm around him and said, "Let's go!"

So Luffy's a devil fruit user. I should have suspected when he didn't have any burn marks from the lightning. So he could stretch and was resistant to lightning .

We ran and saw Smoker. I was not ready to fight him. I didn't have Armament Haki or my equipment on. I yelled, "Careful! He's a logia. We can't touch him." However, I saw something on his back and smiled.

Smoker looked surprised but gave a grin, "Then you might as well surrender." Smoker wasn't going to have the element of surprise.

Luffy smiled and uttered, "No!" He stretched his arm trying to attack punch him from about 20 meters away.

His arm stretched really long but all he hit was smoke. Smoker than smirked and caught him.

Seeing the danger Luffy was in, Sanji ran faster and yelled "Out of our way!" He then tried to kick him. He ended up kicking smoke.

Even though I had warned him and he had seen what happened, I couldn't help but give Sanji credit for at least trying. He then blew Sanji away. It was my turn. It was going to take a while for me to catch up. I was hoping Smoker was focused on Sanji, so he couldn't turn back to smoke so I could get a hit on him. If not, then at least I have plan B.

As I tried kicking his face, he let me go past him. That's fine. His mistake.

I twisted and bended my body in midair to get a better angle to grab his jitte. With one hand, I quickly grabbed his jitte. Right when I landed, I then stroke his back with it. I had read that Smoker uses a jitte covered with seastone. Chances are Smoker didn't have Haki and wanted to cover his weakness of not being able to attack Logias.

Fortunately, I knew about this and turned his own weapon against him.

He looked at me surprised but quickly used his powers. I quickly used two hands to secure my grip on his weapon, so he couldn't take it back easily. This was the only way we could fight and win unless Luffy and Sanji knew Haki. Based off my warning, they didn't. Smoker prioritized getting the weapon back, and loosened his hold on Luffy.

Luffy quickly broke free and saw what was going on. He tried to help me out and tried to punch Smoker with him focused.

However, because I was behind Smoker, he ended up punching the jitte. That was going to hurt a lot.

Luffy grunted. I cried out and Smoker used my lapse of attention to grab back his jitte. He pushed me away with his ability.

I cursed myself. Six months of not being a bodyguard really made me out of shape and loose. I would normally be more alert to these kinds of things.

He looked at me more carefully and asked, "Who are you? Not many people know about my jitte."

I shrugged. I didn't need to respond. Angry, he used his weapon to prepare to strike Luffy. I needed to run to get there.

Then, out of nowhere. I saw Dragon stopping Smoker's hand from striking Luffy.

Why is the world's most wanted man here? Why is he helping us? If my former boss knew, he'd tell me to...

Zoro and Sanji came running, picking up Luffy and interrupting my earlier thoughts. I looked at them and then at Smoker and Dragon. As Zoro and Sanji ran past, I ran after them, trailing behind in case Smoker was going to attack. I had a feeling he wasn't.

After all, Dragon was a very high priority target in the World Government.

* * *

Author's Note:

Well. I decided to try my hand at writing fanfiction once again. It was kind of a random thought I had. Eventually, I kept developing this thought more and more. I ended up typing and writing out certain scenes in the story.

My OC will be joining the crew and will help make the crew stronger earlier. He is going to teach them about Haki early on. Also, my OC is a **skilled** **fighter** but not strong. He's not a guy who can take out a bunch of people at once like the others can. He's also supposed to be serious, smart, meticulous, and clever which is an interesting contrast to the Strawhat's spontaneity.

Even though he's not a former pirate or a marine, he can be considered as a veteran because he was a bodyguard at Mary Geoise. His experience is going to help motivate the straw hats to stronger because of his experience.

I hope you notice/remember some foreshadowing or interesting tidbits. They do play a role in the story.

The story will be in my OC's POV. I will change POVs throughout the story like during special fights like Zoro vs Mr. 1, Luffy vs Crocodile etc. or for certain scenes.

I look forward to writing the story in **all** of the Strawhats' POV. So expect to see some chapters after Whiskey Peak in the POV of Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp,... all the way to Robin, Franky, and Brook. I will write Jinbei and Carrot's POV. (If I ever get there).

The changes in POV will be used for story telling and to show development among the characters. You guys SHOULD know the story, but different POVs help keep the story fresh. Also, the story does slightly change because of my OC.

Please leave a review. I am looking for a beta for this story.


	2. Chapter 2 The Crew

Disclaimer: I don't own one piece swimsuits.

I'm a guy that would be weird.

Oh. One Piece the manga. Nope don't own that either.

* * *

Chapter 2

Meeting The Crew

 **Yuuto's POV**

Noticing that we were about to leave and the caravel where two other people were waiting, I hurried to the hotel that I was staying at to grab my backpack. I needed my backpack for this journey.

It had my gloves, specialized grappling hook, night vision goggles, masks, disguise kit, gun, and my journals. I wear my gloves when I was on my job. Looks like I am always going to have them on. It comes in handy especially because it has retractable seastone claws that were a half an inch long from my fingertips and seastone knuckles and palm. That helps attacking any Logia opponents I may face and also good for climbing walls in case I'm falling off a building or need to steal/retrieve something.

That's right. My main job was supposedly bodyguard but I had to sometimes work as a "retrieval specialist." My bosses could be very demanding. Most of the time, they thought the whole world should be given to them. If not, I would have to retrieve it.

I retrieved paintings, artifacts, and even people sometime. There were times I was in a hostage situation and I had to save people. Even though I don't like robbing or stealing, I was considered to be one of the best retrieval specialists around. I heard the police called me 'The Scheming Fox' because of my plans and the fox mask I used. The police would try to catch me, but I could always give them the slip.

Anyways, those skills might be needed for my future life as a pirate.

I will ask the captain whether he needs me to steal anything. I heard a rumor about how pirates were fighting over Poneglyphs, whatever that was. We should be try and maintain a low profile.

I can't help but laugh at that. Something tells me that's not going to happen.

After all, I joined the future Pirate King. It's hard to maintain a low profile like that.

I also had a feeling Luffy was the type to get into a fight within an hour.

My three journals were probably the most important thing to me. No, I did not keep a diary. I kept notes about famous marines, pirates, assassins, or various threats. It included clippings from newspapers that even hinted at their abilities. It had pictures of the pirates from the bounty pictures. In another journal, I kept pictures of islands, rumors, and anything that people mentioned about them. I also kept notes about certain rumors around the world. Legends. Artifacts. Treasure. It even had some blueprints of the world's famous banks, museums, casinos, and sights to see.

What. I needed those blueprints if I ever need to steal something for my previous employers.

The last journal I used were to explain any martial art techniques I had seen or learned from other people. Every technique has its skill. I knew judo the best. However, this journal had pictures I copied for styles I didn't know so well. It included savate, kickboxing, hapkido, taekwondo, muay thai, and kung fu just to name a few. If I didn't have drawings, I had explanations for styles that people mentioned like Rokushiki. It had what other people said about their technique and what I observed.

Looking at this journal, I probably incorporated 15% of it in how I normally fought. I didn't know how to do about 15%.

I only used martial arts because of the restriction at Mary Geoise. No weapons were supposed to be allowed there. Maybe it was time for me to consider using a weapon.

As I had gotten my stuff and paid the innkeeper, I went outside and saw everyone already on board. I quickly ran and jumped to catch the boat.

I landed, and as I landed, I winced a little bit. I had put too much weight on my left leg. Guess it was acting up again.

Putting on a face that showed no pain, "Sorry about that. I needed to grab my belongings. They'll help us." I smiled at my crew.

An orange haired girl yelled, "I'm charging you 10,000 berris the next time you're late! You're making a bad first impression." She threw her fist down in the air. A long nosed teenager stood beside her trying to calm her down.

I laughed a bit and looked to see the other 2 crew mates I haven't met yet. I carefully analyzed them.

The orange haired girl had short hair and nice brown eyes. She seemed like she was maturing to adulthood. She was wearing a blue shirt and black shorts. I could notice that she had a larger than normal size chest hidden in her blue shirt. I was wondering what she would look like when she's older.

I sighed. I need to try to stop thinking that but I blame the fact that I'm a guy. Still, she was attractive now, and when she became a woman, she'd be quite the looker. However, I'm sure she wasn't my type. My ideal type definitely had to be someone who could be quiet.

The girl didn't seem to be quiet for sure.

The boy with the long nose kind of had an a shaggy hairstyle. I sighed knowing how hard it was going to hide that long nose. He was dressed in overalls with goggles. He was skinny.

"I'm Kaiya Yuuto. I hope to help you guys all." I bowed.

"I'm Usopp. I'm the captain." the long nose responded, slightly confusing me.

"You mean sniper, liar." The orange haired girl then bonked him on the head.

"Ouch. Nami" I felt a little sorry for Usopp but Nami did seem stressed out.

"That's Nami-chan! Our beautiful navigator! She told all of us that a storm was coming." Sanji yelled with hearts in his eyes.

Hm. That makes sense why she was so stressed. She knew the storm was coming and wanted to leave. I've never met someone who could predict the weather. Maybe Luffy has a good eye for talent.

I smiled. "That's really cool. Where are we going next?"

Luffy said excitedly, "To the Grand Line!"

I was about to say something, but I noticed that all the crew members except Usopp had agreed with that. It seems that this crew wasn't very practical. To maintain a ship with 6 people was crazy especially in this weather.

Then again, this crew was the crew of the future Pirate King so it has to be special.

Nami pointed the general direction, "We are going through the Reverse Mountain."

I nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. That makes sense because seastone was expensive and hard to get to go through the Calm Belt. There was no way this ship was going to make it through the Calm Belt. We were going through the more reliable way. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"Two days."

"Hm. That gives me time to know you guys and you guys to know me." I replied. "Let's head inside."

From what I've seen so far, I wondered what each member did and their history.

"Oy Sanji. Let's have a party! We have a new crew member!"

"Quiet idiot captain." Sanji sighed.

"You don't have to be so loud." Nami had hit him.

Confused by these antics, I couldn't help but wonder whether our crew truly respected our captain.

* * *

As we entered inside the Going Merry and sat down, my crew members decided to introduce themselves first. I learned about their dreams, jobs, and skills.

Luffy had the Gomu Gomu fruit, meaning he was made of rubber. His fighting style showed that he was just a street brawler. I could tell by his conversation that what I thought of him was true. I wonder if he was willing to learn some martial arts.

Zoro was the swordsman using the Santoryu style and seemed like the unofficial first mate. I could tell he had everyone else's respect. He wanted to be the world's strongest swordsman. He also seemed the most loyal. Usopp also said that Zoro had the highest pain tolerance of the crew. However, Nami said that Zoro had the worst sense of direction. Nonetheless, I could tell that he was the strong and serious type.

Nami was the navigator who could accurately predict the weather. Luffy and Zoro both agree that since they met Nami she was never wrong in predicting the weather. She mentioned that she was a bit of a pickpocket. Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp said that she also loved money and was greedy. Sanji kept worshipping Nami as if she was an angel. She wanted to draw the map of the world. She seemed to be the only practical one in the entire crew. She didn't seem much of a fighter other than using a staff.

That was going to need to change for the Grand Line.

Usopp was the sniper. He was about to start telling a story how he had 8000 followers. However, I noticed that he was lying because he has one of the most obvious tells. Nami just told him to stop lying as if this was common. He used a slingshot to fight. Luffy and Nami told stories about his impressive aim. Usopp also claimed that he was a bit of an inventor. His dream was to be the bravest warrior of the sea. I was wondering if I should give him my gun because I don't like using guns.

I feel that Usopp was going to need a lot of work.

Sanji was the cook and used only his legs to fight. His dream was to find All Blue. Luffy said he made the most delicious food he had ever eaten. Zoro said that he was the biggest flirt on the planet. Sanji just said that he was a ladies' man. I could tell that he was hiding something from his past, but that's not important. I wonder if he knew how to use savate or taekwondo. Maybe I could show him some moves.

Being in the crew for a short while and talking to them really made me realize how much they support one another. This crew was strong in a different way. There was a special family bond among all of them. They wanted to help each other and help each other accomplish their goal.

It wasn't spoken directly but everyone wanted to help out each other. You could see it in their eyes. In all the pirates I've fought while protecting people, none of them had the desire to protect each other.

This crew was definitely special. To have such dedication to one another. Luffy was special to unite these people together.

I looked at Luffy. He really cared about his nakama. You could tell just about the fact how he praised each and everyone of his crew. Their interactions really showed how close they were to each other.

Luffy had saved all of them in some way. That made them loyal.

Luffy had a certain charm or charisma around him. He was very likable. That made us want to help him.

I never had a feeling like this. Bodyguards typically work with other bodyguards, but it was hard to want to get close to people you work with knowing that they could die. Our lives were on the line from pirates or assassins.

It was also hard to get close to the clients sometimes. Some clients were just snobs. The clients I liked working with though was always for a short period of time.

Sensing a long pause, it was my turn.

"I grew up in the Grand Line, particularly in the second half they call the New World. I'm a former bodyguard. I like learning and training in different martial arts. My hobbies include practicing martial arts, reading the newspaper, and reviewing my notebooks. My secret talent is that I'm a good thief but I prefer to call myself 'a retrieval specialist'. I can also use Observation Haki.' "

Of course, my introduction raised more questions.

"A thief eh?" asked Nami. She said that in a challenging manner.

I nodded and took out Usopp's wallet and Sanji's lighter. I liked to show off in a casual setting.

Usopp yelled in surprise while Sanji wondered out loud when I did that. Zoro gave a smirk while Nami shook her head.

"Whoa! That's cool!" exclaimed Luffy.

"Yeah. I'm pretty good about that. Here captain." I then took out Luffy's hat handing it back to him.

Everyone was shocked. They didn't seem to notice that Luffy's hat was missing. Luffy was a little angry.

"Don't touch my hat!" He gave me a very stern look. I felt guilty seemed like that hat is very important to him. However, he quickly asked, "How did you do that? I'm sure I had my hat when I sat down." with stars in his eyes.

I laughed and joked, "Magic."

It's very easy to steal things when people are not paying attention. Using misdirection causing people to look/ focus at something else makes it even easier. When Luffy and everyone else was first amazed by what I stole for Usopp and Sanji, that's when I took it.

Luffy's response was praising while Usopp was clapping his hands. Nami and Zoro sighed a little bit at my response. Sanji smirked and stated, "You seem to think fast on your feet."

I looked at him more closely and noticed that he had a weird swirly eyebrow that seemed familiar. I voiced back, "You kind of have to when you're protecting people."

Luffy nodded his head. "Right like how you took that weapon from Smoker right when you went past him."

I smiled at that. He had good fighting instincts. He would be even scarier with his fruit if I taught him martial arts. "That was actually my original plan. I knew his jitte was the only thing that could hurt Smoker. Even if we had Zoro there, he would have cut nothing. All our attacks were going straight him."

Zoro took offense to that. "I would have cut him for sure."

Luffy shook his head while Sanji argued. "No. Marimo! You wouldn't have. My kicks and Luffy's punches all went through him."

Zoro growled. "What did you just call me?" He put his hands on his swords.

I quickly put my hands up to calm them down. Seems like the two do not get along. "Calm down. There's no need to fight."

Nami sighed, "Glad. I don't have to be the only peacemaker around here."

I sweat drop a little bit. This was a common occurrence?

Unfortunately, both my and Nami's attempts didn't seem to calm them down. I looked toward Luffy which he noticed. He's captain; it should be a secret code to listen to the captain. Luffy said, "Zoro. Sanji's right. He turned to smoke when we tried to hit him. That weapon is different. It made me feel weak."

"That's because it's covered with seastone." I explained.

"Seastone?" questioned Sanji. Everyone else also gave me questioning looks.

I was beginning to wonder what these people didn't know. I gave a mental sigh. "Seastone is a substance from the sea that can cancel out devil fruit users. It's like the sea in solid form. A devil fruit user touching this seastone will feel drained. It is as hard as diamond. Seastone can be in the form of weapons, bullets, handcuffs, buildings, and ships." As I said this midsentence, I remembered about the Calm Belt. "Having it on the bottom of the ship would have let us go through the Calm Belt safely because the Sea Kings would have ignored us."

"What's the Calm Belt?" Usopp asked. I was getting a little worried about this crew. They seemed so naive and inexperienced. This was a big deal.

Nami started explaining. "The Calm Belt is another way to get to the Grand Line. There are no storms there but there are plenty of monsters to fight."

I gave a breath of relief. Ok maybe this crew wasn't as ill prepared as I thought. But then again, she was the navigator.

"The monsters are that scary?" asked Zoro. Unaware of the situation.

"They're Sea Kings. Remember. There are like thousands of them, waiting in the Calm Belt to eat people."

A Sea King by itself wasn't scary. However, if you had to deal with 10 Sea Kings every minute, it gets **slightly** annoying. Just slightly.

Lightning had struck and the waves crashed harder. Usopp cried with his legs shaking. "This is the safer way?"

"Well it's better this way. The other way to get into the Grand Line is through Mary Geoise. If we went that way, we'd still go through storms but with the added bonus of marines." I said.

Usopp shook his head. Nami cried in fear a little. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji gave a shrug.

Seeing the mood become a little too quiet, I praised to defuse the situation, "Our navigator picked the best route. She knew the best way we could go right now." There was no reason for the atmosphere to be gloomy right now. Best way to do that is to cheer people up.

Nami smiled appreciatively, "Thank. You know a lot Yuuto."

I smiled back. "Well. Like I said, I'm from the Grand Line." I couldn't help but say that in a slightly flirtatious manner.

I had a tendency to start flirting if a woman started talking to me. I noticed it rubs women the wrong way if men begin their conversation with women by flirting with them.

"Right. You mentioned you're from the Grand Line. What's it like there? Are there a lot strong people?" Zoro asked this one. He was grinning about the thought of fighting stronger people.

"There are a lot of strong people at the Grand Line. Traveling by yourself is dangerous around there too." I looked at them seeing two emotions: fear and excitement. Even though this crew was inexperienced and naive, that didn't mean they couldn't grow.

I was going to help them grow by teaching them about Haki. I only knew how to use Observation Haki but maybe my experience can help them grow and be better prepared to fight the perils of the Grand Line.

"Yes. There are. The stronger ones use something called Haki."

Usopp asked, "You mentioned that you can use observation Haki. But what's is that even?"

"The best way for me to descirbe Haki in one word is willpower. You can also think of it as spiritual energy. There are three types of Haki. The most common Haki is armament. Then comes observation. The rarest of them all is conqueror's Haki. Only one in a million can ever us conqueror's Haki. I only know how to use observation. "

"Show us!" They exclaimed.

"I'm not very good at this aspect just yet. Let me calm down for a moment." I paused. I could sense people's presence very well but I had some trouble dodging attacks. "Sanji, can you also stand behind me? I will demonstrate." Sanji nodded and stood up. I had taken out a blindfold and started wrapping it around my eyes.

Here's hoping that I can do this successfully.

"Alright, now that I'm blindfolded, Sanji I want you to kick me." I could hear Nami and Usopp cry in fear. It also seemed that Zoro and Luffy paid more attention. "I'll be fine."

Sanji said "Ok." He got ready to kick me.

"Low sweep kick" I then jumped and felt the air that Sanji made when missed his sweep kick. Sanji couldn't mask his intent which makes this a lot easier.

Zoro and Luffy were impressed. Usopp and Nami clapped.

As I landed, "Continue Sanji." I feel that Sanji nodded. "Kick to my left shoulder" I dodged that one. Sanji began kicking faster.

"Kick to my back" I also dodged that one but barely.

"Kick to my hip." Sanji had tried to kick me at my hip but I blocked it. I fell down a bit. I need to be in shape more. I took off my blindfold. I smiled, "That's observation Haki for you. See what happened."

Nami stated the obvious "You dodged most of his attacks while blindfolded."

"Not only that but I knew which area he was about to attack."

Sanji was impressed. He confirmed my statement by saying "You said most of my attacks right before I even started attacking."

Zoro, realizing what this could mean, asked "You can see the future?" Luffy and Usopp had their eyes open.

I laughed at that. "Not quite." There were stories of a pirate who trained his observation Haki so that he could see the future. I went back to my seat. "Haki is a power that is found in every living organism. Plants, animals, and humans all have haki. You just need to awaken it." I looked around and saw that I had everyone's attention.

"Like I said, Haki is like your will. Your fighting spirit. With it, you can impose your will on other people. Observation Haki lets me sense other people's will and their intention. I am really good at using this to tell where people are."

Usopp praised. "That's so cool!"

I continued. "The most common Haki is known as armament Haki. If your will is strong, you can use it to fight. Someone I knew who can use this said that it feels like forcing your will on your hands or your weapon and then you can strike. It acts as an invisible armor. This is important because you can use this to nullify devil fruits users like that Smoker guy." I pointed to Sanji and Luffy. "Remember the man who stopped Smoker from hitting you Luffy. He was using armament Haki to hold Smoker's hand."

Luffy and Sanji were shocked. Dragon had grabbed Smoker's hand. They must have felt powerless when they couldn't even touch him.

Zoro asked, "Do you know how to unlock it?"

I gave a shrug. "It was kind of vague. I feel that you need to think about having your will on your arms or your weapons, but I'm not sure. I haven't trained the last six months."

Luffy and Sanji seemed lost in thought. Nami and Usopp didn't look too interested.

"Think of it this way. It's a skill we can use to actually hurt Luffy because he's rubber. Our punches or kicks won't work unless we use seastone."

Everyone laughed at that while Luffy pouted. Suddenly, Luffy pounds his fist in realization. "Ah that's why Grandpa's fist hurts so much. He must have been using armament Haki."

Everyone was confused as to who was Grandpa. That seemed so random.

I continued, "Yeah. As a bodyguard, it's annoying not being able to use armament Haki. It's hard especially when this Haki is common and really useful along the second half of the grand line." I see Zoro and Luffy sigh. They seemed like they really enjoyed fighting and wanted me to teach it to them.

"Anyways, I unlocked a rarer Haki and I hope I can help you guys unlock it too. Observation haki allows me to sense how strong things are and your presences. It's how I was able to warn you guys what was ahead when we were running."

Zoro replied, "That's not very useful when we still have face them."

I agreed with that. "It's useful if I need to find you guys. Using observation Haki lets me know what your aura's like. I can find you guys quicker in a crowd. I typically acted as a scout when I had to work in teams. Also remember how I dodged Sanji's attacks. Observation Haki lets you know other people's wills."

Usopp said, "Man. If everyone has that kind of power at the Grand Line, they're unstoppable."

I laughed. "That's not true. There are a couple weaknesses. One, Haki can run out. It needs to recover over time. Two, your Haki needs to be stronger than their Haki. Three, you are not impervious to damage. Armament Haki can act as a shield but that shield can break. Four, haki doesn't work every time. " I took a pause catching my breath. Sanji stood up to get me some water. I accepted it.

I gulped some water and continued on "Using Observation Haki for a while, I noticed I can't predict every attack. It seems to work best when I'm calm which is hard to do in my line of work when I'm trying to protect someone from danger. Also, you need to be faster than the attack itself. Remember that I had to block Sanji's last attack. You also can't predict if the attack is random or if the person doesn't know where the attack is going."

I felt like I was forgetting something else as a weakness. Maybe, it'll come up to me later.

"Oh right, there's Conqueor Haki. Only one in a million people have Haki. Those who have it have a king's disposition. In fact, I think Luffy has this naturally. He's similar to someone I've met who has it."

"And me. I think I have it too" cried Usopp.

I laughed. "If you do Usopp, I'll call you God Usopp." We all laughed at that.

(AN: That's a challenge Oda.)

Zoro motioned for me to continue.

"The user uses his will to subdue people. I've seen someone use it to knock out 100 people just by a stare. Also you feel quite a suffocating pressure when you are the one receiving it.""

Nami spoke up as if afraid. "Is that power real?"

I nodded. "It is. The only good news is that not many people have this power. I have only met one person. We might not even see this power for at least another year. But it's good to train now."

"What do you mean?" questioned Usopp.

I stated. "Because of my experience, I can help you learn certain skills you might need for the Grand Line." I bust out my journals. "I think Sanji and Luffy would benefit from my martial arts journal. I'm sharing this with both of you. Maybe it'll give you inspiration for new techniques." I handed it to Sanji because he was the closest. He opened it and looked impressed by the contents.

I handed another journal. "This journal talks about islands. I will give this to our navigator to read."

"Thanks Yuuto." Nami took it graciously.

I smiled. "I think you'll appreciate it especially if you said you're a thief."

Nami skimmed through the journal and noticed the pictures of treasure and buildings. She looked at me, pointing to a picture of a diamond.

"In case, we ever have the chance to find it or we need to steal." I elaborated. Nami nodded. Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp looked impressed at the knowledge I had. Luffy didn't really seem to care about this. "Maybe we'll go on an adventure to find stuff." Luffy's eyes then sparkled.

Luffy loved an adventure. I liked traveling. That was another part that I liked about my former job. I did get to travel almost every month.

I took out my last journal. I felt this was the most important one. "This journal is my record of the famous marines and pirates in the last 8 years and their abilities. I want everyone to read this one. Knowledge against who we fight against is just as important as fighting skills."

"But I want to go on an adventure. Not a boring adventure already knowing what everyone and everything is." Luffy said.

I understood what Luffy was trying to say. He wanted to experience everything spontaneously. However, I was not going to be give up on this matter. "Listen Luffy. I believe you can and will be the pirate king." I knew that was primary reason I followed him. I think the other reason was that I was becoming restless after not doing anything for six months.

I needed to continue. "However, you are still too weak compared to the people in this journal. This isn't a game anymore."

Zoro closed his eyes and considered. I could tell that he agreed with me. Sanji also closed his eyes, pondering what I was saying. This seemed to have made the atmosphere really tense between me and Luffy. Nami put her hands up to try to defuse the situation. Usopp looked shaken when I said that.

I continued. "You have to beat all of these people that my journal talks about. I think you can currently beat about 5 percent of the people here. Let's start with the first marine I have." I opened the book, read the first page and facepalmed. I can't believe I didn't notice. I need to review my journal now if I didn't make a connection. I had ordered the marines by those who had served for a long time and most likely to come across.

"Monkey D. Garp" Now I understand why Luffy earlier said Grandpa's fist hurts. He definitely has Haki.

"That's my grandpa! I can't beat up my grandpa." Luffy shouted.

"YOUR GRANDPA'S GARP!" Everyone shouted at that.

"What's the big idea!" Luffy started picking his nose.

Zoro said, "He's the one who chased Gold Roger the most and fought with him. He almost killed him."

Nami continued, "They call him Garp the Hero or Garp the Fist because of that."

Sanji sighed. "He turned down the position of an admiral. Now, I see why you're so strong now."

Usopp said, "Legend has it he can throw cannonballs with his bare hands."

Luffy interrupted, "Oh that's when we play catch! He'd throw it to me and I'd bounce it back" He smiled at that memory.

Nami whacked him over the head. "That's not normal. Your grandpa's a strong marine."

"So?" He was still not seeing it.

Sanji sighed and hinted, "Can you beat him?"

Luffy said, "No. What's the point?"

"The point is that you have to fight your Grandpa to become Pirate King. Can you win?" I asked.

"Not right now. But I'll win when I have to fight him. I'll get stronger." Luffy said as it was the most obvious thing. That seemed to have comforted Nami and Usopp.

I looked around. I only saw Zoro truly understanding what I was really trying to say. I wasn't sure about Sanji. Everyone else didn't seem to get it. I sighed deciding to share my memories. To me, motivation for someone else does not give the same driving force for a dream.

This crew could easily have that motivation. They were good people who wanted to protect what was precious to them.

"You didn't win against Smoker and we were helpless before him. What if Smoker had tried to kill us?" I was trying to hint at something. Sometimes, people respond better when they realize it themselves. That statement scared Luffy and Sanji. Zoro closed his eyes. "Do you think you could have stopped him? He's weaker than your grandpa you know. In fact, he's weaker than a lot of people in this book." I said the last part cruelly to get my point across.

I didn't want to ramble on but I had to continue. "Do you know why I have this book? I used this for my job, so I won't be caught off guard about my client. I keep pictures of marines and pirates' bounties so I can be alert. Any hint of their ability is in my notebook. That way my client doesn't die because I didn't know how to handle an enemy. I have lost fellow guards that way. I never failed my job protecting my clients but I could never protect my allies. "

I breathed and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes, remembering my former closest friends and the friends who worked with me. I felt that I was the only one left, and it hurt the most.

It was hard. As bodyguards, we were shields and expected to die. However, that didn't mean the knowledge made me comfortable.

The air was silent. Everyone except Luffy looked at me with sympathy. Nami and Usopp had tears in their eyes. Luffy looked down.

"Now that I'm a pirate, I am using this journal and sharing it with you guys so that way you guys can protect yourself. This isn't a game anymore. Got it. I don't want any of my nakama to die because they weren't prepared. " I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and not remember anymore of the ones who died.

I heard someone get up to go outside.

"Yuuto." I look up to see Zoro. Luffy was the one who had gone outside. Zoro gave me a stare that I couldn't read. He then gave an approving grin and said, "Welcome to the Straw Hat crew. You'll fit in."

* * *

AN: The last bit was meant to be a wake up call. Think of it as Sabody.

The only difference is they are imagining the situation and using that to get stronger. Hypotheticals are not as strong as the real thing, but this does make the rest of the crew stronger compared originally.

I would say that when Yuuto was at his **prime** , he was around rear admiral level. Right now, he's about captain level but his experience and knowledge make him stronger.

There are multiple reasons why he's weaker and there's a large difference in strength level. One of them is he is rusty after traveling 6 months. He only traveled and kept up with the news during that time.

You will have to keep reading to find out the other reasons why.

I felt I had to make Luffy go outside because the situation Yuuto described was supposed to remind him of Sabo. Also, we know how much that Luffy really treasures his nakama.

There will be fight scenes involved. I won't make them say attacks unless they're the popular ones. Jet pistol, shigan, Lion sonson, etc.

My OC will never say his attacks. His attacks will be based off of fighting games. I'm going to use inspirations from Street Fighter, Tekken, Dead or Alive, and Little Fighter 2. He's a martial artist.

Thanks for the reviews! Let me also say that I do have the story planned out. I just need to actually write out the story. I feel that I have Alabasta planned out. I am having trouble with Skypeia.

Please leave a review! If you want to be a beta for my story, please pm if you are interested. I am looking for a beta who has writing experience on this website.


	3. Chapter 3 Into The Grandline

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own One Piece.

* * *

In the Grand Line

2 days later

 **Yuuto's POV**

Everyone except me lied on the Going Merry exhausted. I was pretty tired too though. We had just finished paddling the Going Merry.

The reason why we were so tired was not because of training even though we had done training for the last two days. We were paddling because we had gotten into the Calm Belt when we weren't looking.

I was standing but I was panting over. It felt like I had just run two marathons back to back. I was not fully one hundred percent yet. The last six months have made me relax too much, but I was getting there slowly. I had been helping every member seeing if there was something in their skillset I could do to help. I was refining the five martial art styles that I had learned but I was going to see if I could go to a dojo or a library to find a new style.

It was more important for me to get into tip top shape.

"Oh thank God! We're back in the storm now" cried Luffy. I looked at him. He was resting with his back on the ground facing the sky. He did practice some of the moves he saw in my journal. When I had talked to him during the last two days, I told him about the idea I had with that came from his balloon technique. I told him if he could transfer the air that he breathed to a specific part of the body. I had seen him work on the idea I had said but it didn't seem that he knew how to blow the air into the rest of his body. Maybe if we had a doctor, we could use his medical expertise to help Luffy do that better.

I also noticed know he really wanted to unlock armament Haki but I could only help him with observation. I told him he could unlock observation haki by wearing a blindfold and having Nami use her bostaff to hit him. Unfortunately, I felt Luffy was not close to unlocking observation Haki, and he got hit most of the time. I think he got lucky when he dodged.

I told Nami to treat Luffy as dummy training. I told her it was a good way for her to improve her strength and stamina and to release some anger she may have had on Luffy. She laughed at that.

I swear every day, there is something Luffy does that upsets everyone. I think all of us were hoping that Luffy wouldn't get observation Haki so Nami could keep hurting him as revenge for all of us.

Anyways, I looked at Nami who was lying face down. I had also been telling her about what I knew about the weather and navigation in the Grand Line. I told her that a compass was no good and I happened to have a log pose and gave it to her. She would know how to use it better than I could ever use.

Her navigation skills and weather prediction were definitely one of a kind. If only she could use the weather as a weapon. I would see if at the next island if there were some bojutsu books for her to buy.

She got up a little bit but fell immediately. I winced because I knew her legs were tired from earlier when I set up my grappling hook and attached her to it her to practice some wire work. (AN: Think mission impossible) I told her that if we're pirates there may come a time when we have to steal something that requires us to be suspended. It's very uncomfortable being suspended on the wire so she should get used to the feeling. She asked Zoro, "Now you understand why we use the entrance."

I laughed a little bit. Zoro has asked about how scary the Sea Kings were the previous day.

Zoro sat beside the mast. "Yeah... Understood." He had seen at least 15 of those **slightly annoying** Sea Kings. The last two days, he was training really hard. When I asked the others about it, everyone else said it was his normal workout routine. I was impressed. He didn't need my pep talk. When I talked to him, I confessed that I didn't really know any sword techniques nor did a lot of martial arts incorporated his sword style. He just grinned and said that he appreciated everyone else getting a wake up call.

Others soon told me that Zoro had actually faced Mihawk a week earlier. I couldn't help but respect that seeing that he realized the difference in skill and needed to train. He must have felt angry that he was the only one working hard while everyone was goofing off. To be honest, I think out of everyone here, I think Zoro might unlock armament Haki first. He has the discipline and the will to focus.

Usopp lifted up his head from the ground and spoke "The day I think a storm is safe." He then plopped his head back down.

Usopp had been working hard. When I talked to him, he told me that he wanted to get stronger. In order for him to become a brave warrior of the sea, he couldn't rely on us protecting him. Of course, he was still scared, but he did train a lot more. I saw him practice his slingshot shooting at rocks in the storm at night training his eyesight. I told him that he could borrow my night vision goggles and gun if he wanted too. However, the look on his eyes seemed that he needed to reject my offer on principle. That was good. He shouldn't really on tools to become stronger. Having better skills made dangerous weapons scarier.

In that case, I could only give him ideas. I told him that he needed to upgrade his weapon to fire his ammo further. He should also consider becoming a trap expert or have his ammo explode. I could tell he did not want to kill anyone but he could perhaps produce a gas that incapacitates them or cause them to faint. I also told him to prepare ammo for every possible situation like nets to catch people, grappling hooks, etc.

Usopp would benefit the most from learning Observation Haki. That was the most useful Haki for him to incorporate with his skill. However, it was definitely going to be a long time before he could.

When we were talking, he boasted that he was a master inventor. I smirked and pointed at Nami to see if he could create a staff or a bo-staff for Nami that could control the weather. He looked at me as if to say challenge accepted.

Sanji, lying from the ground, looked up from the ground and said "Did you see me, Nami- swan? I paddled the fastest." Everyone including Nami, who would normally ignore it, sighed. I turned to Sanji and noticed that he was looking exhausted.

The last two days, it had been hard for Sanji to spend a lot of time training compared to the rest of us. Nami does not need to use her hands while she's navigating. Training while doing his job was hard. I noticed that when he was cooking he was using his legs to kick a small hacky sack. It seemed that it was teaching him control but it didn't seem to help. There was no way that could help him train. I offered to cook a meal, so he could have more time training. He insisted that he could both cook and train. I told him I can cook at least one meal a week just for him to relax or to train.

Soon enough, we ended up arguing. It was his job and he was an amazing cook. I conceded that I wasn't as good cook as he was, but the food I made was at least average quality. I ended up cooking some fried rice which he tasted. He didn't spit out the food but acknowledged that the dish as it was wasn't good enough for the entire crew to eat.

I think he wanted to cook for Nami and that my food wasn't good enough for her. When Sanji called Nami over to also taste the rice, she said it was good. Hearing that, Sanji conceded.

So now, I will cook for the Straw Hat crew once a week with Sanji watching after me. He copied my journal idea and started writing recipes for me. The plan was while I cooked, he could train near the kitchen and if he smelled anything wrong he could immediately help out. In turn, I thought of the idea that I could at least help prepare the food to help him out while he could train for a short while and then he could finish up cooking.

He looked at me and I could tell he was giving up something he really enjoyed doing but realized the sacrifice that had to be made. This training was for nakama.

So when he trained, it was very effective. He gave his all, especially after dinner time when he didn't have to cook anymore. I looked over his kicks. His kick styles were based on taekwondo and capoeira. He looked over my book and expressed interest in savate. I mentioned to him that I never saw him use his knees in combat so maybe he could also try Muay Thai. He countered that using his knees would mean he would have to get closer or use his hands to grab the opponent.

I thought about that. He was definitely right, but I told him that it's better to have a skill and not use it than to not have a skill and need that skill. Knees were stronger than feet. He agreed with that sentiment, but he promised he would learn Muay Thai later.

I considered if there were any skills that people could make with their legs or feet and I pointed out to him a style known as Rokushiki mentioned later in my book. I explained all 6 techniques what they did. I told him that he should focus on learning Geppo, Soru, and Rankyaku. It was perfect for him because they used legs the most and the others, especially Tekkai and Shigan, were the hardest ones to master.

I hoped I explained it well to him because I didn't know how to use them. I did tell him what I noticed what may be the secret to Soru and Geppo though. I wished him luck because I had tried learning the Rokushiki skills for a while. I only understood how to use Kami-e in the four years since I was first introduced to Rokushiki. Unfortunately, that was something I rarely used.

"Look!" Luffy pointed out.

I smiled before looking. This crew was really rough around the edges. However, they were really skilled in what they specialized and had a lot of potential for growth. I couldn't help but feel how special and lucky Luffy was in selecting all of them. It seemed like fate for the Pirate King to select such a crew.

I pointed out "There's Reverse Mountain. After that, there's the Grand Line."

Excited, Luffy took out a barrel. "Let's declare our dreams before we enter."

Invigorated, everyone stood in a circle around the barrel.

"I'm gonna be Pirate King!"

"I'm going to be the world's best swordsman."

"I'm going to draw the map of the world."

"I'm gonna be a brave warrior of the sea."

"I'm going to find All Blue."

I took a deep breath. I felt a little excluded. I didn't have a real dream, but maybe I will find one as I continue.

"I will help my friends accomplish their dreams."

I looked and saw how the crew looked at me in approval. I really did care about their dreams to protect them.

I was going to help prepare them the best way I can.

"To the mystery mountain!" shouted our captain.

"The ocean is going up the mystery mountain." I chuckled copying his phrase.

* * *

As we went up, our rudder broke so we couldn't steer along the jagged path. Thanks to our captain's quick thinking, he quickly inflated himself as a balloon to protect the ship from crushing rocks.

Usopp quickly tried to repair the rudder. However, I could see that he didn't really know what to do.

We got up to to the top and I couldn't help but notice a large presence ahead of us. I heard a loud "Buoh!"

Sanji said, "Look at the mountain."

As we made our descent, Luffy said, "That's not a mountain. That's a -"

Bump. We hit a rock and now we were in the air. On the way to the whale.

Nami yelled at me as the boat landed. "Hey Yuuto! You should have told us there was a giant whale here!"

I reminded her. "I entered as a civilian going through Mary Geose. There's no way I would have known about it."

Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji tried to turn the rudder but to no avail. Luffy was getting ready to fire a cannon at the whale.

I needed to think before either we crash into the whale or the whale hits us. Either way, conservation of momentum was not on our side.

After he fired the cannon and the smoke cleared, I quickly grabbed Nami's hand to pull her down so we both crouched down. Within 2 seconds, Going Merry's head flew by.

She blushed and thanked me.

I nodded telling her not to worry.

As we both got up, we saw Luffy punching the whale. He was angry about his favorite seat.

As one, we all cried "That idiot."

Zoro and Sanji with shark teeth pointing out quickly tried to grab Luffy out the way. Nami went down on the floor as if her soul was going away. Usopp was trying to pull the rudder. I was about to kick Luffy.

The whale then looked at us and swallowed us.

* * *

"I could have sworn we were just swallowed up by a whale" Sanji said.

Usopp nodded.

"We were" I stated as fact. I trusted my eyes. Appearances were always deceiving.

Zoro said, "Is this a dream?"

Nami said, "Yeah. This has got to be a dream."

It looked like we were in the sea. There was only one island in front of us. I felt someone's presence and yelled "There's someone in the house!" He was strong.

The door opened. Out walked an old man with a flower on his head.

I know he looked ridiculous but my observation Haki can feel his presence. He's strong.

"Oi! A flower." Sanji said.

"That's a man." I said dumbly.

The old man looked at us with a piercing stare. He then sat down on the lawn chair pulling up the newspaper. He still had an intimidating stare. This was the closest the others would experience conqueror's Haki.

After 5 seconds of staring, Sanji yelled, "Say something!"

He continued to stare at us.

Usopp yelled, "If it's a fight you want, then you've got one. We got a cannon on our side." His knees were shaking.

I scoffed a bit. Usopp's going to need a lot of help with his dream if he's scared of an old man and if he thought that we had the advantage.

The old man finally spoke. "Don't. Or someone might end up dead." He was challenging us. He knew that he had an advantage.

"Oh! Who?" Sanji put a tough grin.

He answered, "Me!" I couldn't help but faceplant.

Sanji yelled with shark teeth coming out, "You?"

Zoro, being abnormally calm, patted Sanji. "Don't get worked so up." Zoro moved forward. "Hey, who are you? Do you know where we are?"

With still an intimidating stare, he said "It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking questions right?"

Embarrassed, Zoro cleared his throat. "Right. I'm Roronoa-" before being interrupted.

"I'm Crocus. The lighthouse Keeper of the Twin Capes. I'm 71 years old."

I had to hold Zoro back. He had his sword out. I cleared my throat and bowed before him. "I'm Yuuto. Are we inside a whale?" The old man was either senile or smart in making us lower our guard and then attacking when we couldn't think normally.

Crocus smiled. "Yes. There's the exit over there."

My crewmembers looked in shock.

"Thanks!"

"Wait. How is that door floating in the sky?" Nami asked.

Crocus replied, "If you look carefully, all the insides of the whale are just a painting. That's just my way of having a good time."

The rest of my crew looked in shock. Zoro composed himself and said "Leave him be. We found an exit."

Suddenly, we felt the sea shake. Or rather the whale's stomach acid shake.

Crocus said "It's starting again. That whale is bashing his head on the mountain again."

I closed my eyes and thought what Crocus was saying. I remember the scars on the whale. I opened my eyes. "Wait. Where's Luffy?" I couldn't sense him with my Haki. The whale was too big.

Crocus then unexpectedly started diving toward the bottom of the sea.

"What is that old man doing?" I asked out loud. No ordinary old man would go swim in stomach acid. Looking around this place, he must have been the one who set everything up. In that moment I heard a sound and saw three people come out a door into the acid. One of them felt like Luffy.

Usopp cried out "There's two other weirdoes other than Luffy."

Zoro said, "Forget about that. Saving Luffy comes first." We nodded.

Sanji, Zoro, and I dived into the stomach acid. Zoro got Luffy. Sanji grabbed a stranger. I grabbed the other stranger.

I looked down who I grabbed and saw that it seemed that I grabbed an unconscious teenage girl with blue hair in a high ponytail. She had short shorts and was wearing a spiral design top all over her body. I looked and saw her cleavage. In fact, the spiral design on top of her cleavage make them seem like...

I need to stop my thoughts. I don't want to continue these thoughts. I gulp. I can tell that she's going to be even more beautiful in probably three to four years, but she's too young for me.

If she was anything like the previous princesses I met at the last 2 Reveries then maybe...

I need to stop thinking. Sanji must be rubbing off of me too much.

* * *

 **Flashback**

"Hey Yuuto!" Sanji had called me out when no one was around else. I was about to start my watch and he was getting ready to shower before sleeping.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Could I see your journal? The one with the pirates and marines."

I was slightly confused. It seemed weird and out of the blue. "Why?"

Hearts appeared in his eyes. "I just want to see the beautiful ladies I have to impress when I have a higher bounty than them or when they're chasing me."

I twitched my eyebrows. "That's not what my journal's for. It's not some dating ad you put on the newspaper. Besides. They're dangerous."

"But Yuuto. Come on. Let me see them." pestered Sanji.

"No."

"Yes."

"No. Good night Sanji." That was final.

"But-"

"Good night Sanji." I was firm in my stance.

As Sanji went to the bathroom, I waited breathing in and out. Debating what I was about to do.

"Dammit Sanji." I cursed and went to my backpack and got the journal.

I was going to be reviewing the **dangerous** female marines and pirates we were going to face in the Grand Line. Emphasis on **dangerous**. Not beautiful or sexy.

That was just an added bonus.

 **End Flashback**

* * *

Anyways, I need to get back up the surface or else she's going to die.

As I got up to the surface of the water and saw her, I realized that she seemed familiar. I just didn't know where. As I swam back to the Merry, grabbed my wire, and was pulled up, I noticed that she was waking up.

"Where am I?" the girl murmured.

"Inside a whale." I answered truthfully.

"I must be dreaming."

I chuckled. "You're not."

When we landed on the ship, I laid her down gently. She searched around and saw our flag realizing that we were pirates. She looked angry and scared for a moment. She quickly got up and saw the other stranger.

"Mr. 9. These are pirates." She sounded nervous.

"Yes I know Miss Wednesday. But they seem understanding enough."

This rang lots of bells. No normal person has 9 or Wednesday as their first or last name. They must be codenames. Codenames are never a good sign.

Crocus appeared from the door that Luffy and the weird pair came from. "I won't let you lay even a single finger on Laboon as long as I live" Crocus declared.

I heard a laugh from them and saw them pulling out bazookas. They soon fired.

Crocus blocked their shot with his body. Using my Haki, I could tell that he was still alive and could fight.

My crew members have no idea how tough he actually is.

The duo was about to fire again but Luffy stopped them by knocking them both unconscious with his fist.

"What's going on?" He questioned.

* * *

The next day, Crocus told the story of Laboon and Raftel in more detail than I knew. I'll write down the extra info that Crocus said about Raftel. It sounded as if he had been there.

With the story of Laboon, I couldn't help but be touched by Laboon's loyalty. At the same time though, it was realistic that they most likely died. It must be painful for Laboon.

It sounded like he just needed a new friend.

I was about to walk over to the whale but my captain beat me to it.

Actually, I should say he tried to beat the whale.

He broke our mast doing it.

We really need a new shipwright. Usopp is sadly the best one out of all of us. I definitely can't fix a ship. When I tried hammering something three years ago, the hammer hit my pinky.

Yes. The hammer hit my pinky. Yes I am aware that it should have hit the back of my hand or my thumb if it missed, but it hit my pinky. I missed that bad somehow.

I can use weapons fine, but I cannot hammer anything to save my life.

Interestingly enough, what Luffy did cheered Laboon up. It gave Laboon a new reason to live.

As we got ready to sail, we noticed another log pose. Luffy held onto it at the dinner table. It must have been that weird duo's.

I couldn't help but think about that teenage girl. Something about her was attractive.

I am not becoming a ephebophile. [AN: to teenagers, not children]

I noticed Sanji kicking Luffy out to sea. The kick also broke the lost log pose. I also heard a boom and saw two figures being blasted to sea.

Nami then punched Sanji also sending him to the sea. My old log pose was almost broken by that.

Eventually all the people at sea ended up swimming to the shore at the same exact time. I reached a hand out to Luffy and Sanji first.

Sanji got up, immediately went over to Miss Wednesday, and kneeled down. Miss Wednesday giggled and accepted it. He then smirked at me as if to brag.

I'm serious there's something mysterious about her. I don't like her.

I like …..

Ok. I shook my head. I knew reviewing the journal was a bad idea.

Mr. 9, still hanging on the shore, then asked "Hey! I have a favor to ask. Can you take us to Whiskey Peak?"

Hm. Whiskey Peak. What was that known as? It did sound familiar.

Nami bargained, "Isn't that too much to ask?"

Usopp agreed, "Yeah. Besides who are you?"

Mr. 9 said, "I'm a king."

I shook my head at that. I knew what all the kings currently looked like. Nami and Usopp noticed that and called him a liar. However, Miss Wednesday noticed my action and tilted her head in confusion.

Great, now I'm subconsciously paying attention to her now too.

The mysterious duo soon bowed before us.

Miss Wednesday pleaded, "We'd rather not keep things hush-hush about everything, but "mystery" is our organization's motto. Please help us out of the kindness of your hearts."

Even the way she spoke that seemed familiar to me. I can't figure it out. It was very well composed and elegant.

Our captain nodded. "They can come with us if they want."

I sighed and noticed only Zoro looked at them suspiciously. I signaled to him. He looked confused.

I tilted my head toward the new duo and gestured that I would also keep an eye on them.

He smiled. It seemed we were going to have a private chat if there was anything we could come up.

* * *

Ah yes. Back to the Grand Line. It felt like Autumn 10 minutes ago. It's winter now. It might be summer in the next 30 minutes.

How I missed this stable weather.

Our boat was currently being snowed on so that meant all of the men of the crew had to shovel.

Nami was inside with our guests.

I walked over to Zoro who was shoveling.

"There's something off about our guests."

He smirked. "Here I thought you knew everything in the Grand Line."

I shook my head. "Not everything. The world is a big place." I analyzed his face. He knew something.

"What do you know?" I questioned. "Are they dangerous?"

Zoro seemed like he was about to joke around. However, he saw my serious face. "I don't think they're super strong. They work for Baroque Works. You know about it?" I shook his head no. Zoro smiled, "All I know the lower the number it is, the stronger and more secrets you know in the organization. Everything about it is a secret. The members call each other by code names."

I looked at him skeptically. He sighed. "They tried recruiting me once. After I refused, they tried to kill me. I killed Mr. 7 years ago."

I nodded. "I see." Secret codenames. Hunting whales for food. This organization seems deep and it was around for years. "We're playing to them. They have the advantage where we're going."

Zoro nodded. "I'm going to sleep. I'll protect us at night when we reach the island It's known as -"

"It's known as the place for bounty hunters." I interrupted him. I just remembered. I hoped Nami read that in the journal I had. I'll talk to her later. "You got anything else?" He shook his head no. He then looked at me if I had anything else to add.

I hesitated. "There's something weird about Miss Wednesday." He gave me a look. "She seems familiar." I defended quickly. "I think she has another secret too ok." Zoro gave me a look and just nodded. He then stopped shoveling and went to sleep at the mast.

"For a guy who trains hard, he sure falls asleep fast" I said out loud. I went to go find Nami. If she was in front of the guests, I was going to tell her to check my journal.

* * *

When I got to Nami, the guests were in front of them. Cursing inwardly, I hoped Nami would get secret my message across. She, Sanji, and Usopp I felt would understand my secret messages. "Hey Nami. Have you seen my notes recently? I seemed to have misplaced them." This was an intentional lie seeing that I had only given her my location journal and that I always kept my other journals. If I gave it to someone, I would ask for it back. Nami never asked for the bounty or the martial arts journal.

She turned to me in a way that covered her face from the duo. She winked and smiled."Yes. I have. They were around the table earlier. They've been extremely helpful. I put them back in your room."

I breathed out. Good. I could tell she lied about giving back my notes. "Good. I was worried about my notes. Gotta keep a good record of what happens in the crew." I continued the lie. I knew Nami was the one keeping a record of our journey.

She smiled and continue the lie. "Yeah. Like your notes said, we need to make sure the crew, especially Luffy, stays out of trouble in the kitchen."

I smiled. I was sure she knew about Whiskey Peaks the way she brought that up. I soon left after that. Nami then looked at the guests and ordered them to work outside.

Maybe, I should come up with a code with the crew.

Unfortunately, I couldn't warn the rest of the crew. One of the duo was always around us and close enough to hear me.

* * *

As we entered Whiskey Peak, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 quickly jumped off and swam away. I used my observation Haki to notice there were about 100 people. Fortunately, they all seemed weak. It felt that Usopp could take about 20 of them by himself and Nami could take about 25 by herself. The rest of the crew were overkill.

Maybe I didn't need to warn the rest of the crew. The three of us were good enough and ready to take care of them right now.

I went to go grab my fox mask and had already worn out my gloves. I wore a fox mask to conceal my identity when I had to go retrieve stuff and on the job. I was also lucky that I had black hair, so it doesn't stand out. There were times that I experimented with dyes and gel to give my hair a different look. I was very used to being secretive to the world.

I heard voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. However, they didn't seem they were going to attack right now.

I put my gloves on just in case. My mask will be in my back pocket.

As we got closer, we heard a loud cry, "Welcome pirates!"

This was kind of nice actually. However, I couldn't let my guard down. This was just like Crocus. You underestimate someone, you might end up dying.

Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji seemed happy and were unaware. I looked at Zoro and Nami. Seemed like we were the serious trio and they were the idiot trio. I smiled at them signaling that we got this.

Zoro grinned, putting his hand on the sword. Nami just smiled and laughed.

As we docked the ship, I was surprised.

Standing before me was Igaram, the captain of Alabasta guard. I'd recognize his curly hair anywhere.

That made me realize something.

Miss Wednesday was the 10 year old princess I protected 6 years ago at Reverie. Princess Vivi.

Man, I knew she would turn out to be a looker.

* * *

AN: Well hoped you guys liked that.

Regarding possible people joining the crew, just continue reading the story. I want to focus on certain characters, and people will get their time to shine when it comes. It depends how important I feel they are to the story and the crew.

Also, if new people do join the crew, it's because I feel that it makes sense plotwise for them to actually join.

Thanks for the reviews.


	4. Chapter 4 Whiskey Peak

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

I just own the idea of this story. Oh and my OC.

* * *

Whiskey Peak

 **Yuuto's POV**

I quickly made sure my mask was out of sight. I was confused by this turn of events.

I was sure that if I put on my mask both Igaram and Vivi would recognize me. I don't think they ever saw my face.

I really enjoyed protecting them. I even played with her when she was 10. Vivi was defintely going to make a fine princess one day because of her kindness and caring heart.

Shoot. She had a crush on me when I was younger.

I wonder if she still does. And if only she was older...

Damn it. Focus on the mission. Right now, this is what I know.

\- An island of bounty hunters are greeting us. This screams trap.

\- An organization of bounty hunters were getting ready to kill my crew.

\- Important figures of Alabastan government were part of this organization. I was sure they both loved their country.

The last point confused me the most. Was there anything going on in Alabasta other than the drought? Was the organization involved somehow?

I saw Igaram looking at me and said, "Hello? Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." The crew laughed at me except Nami and Zoro. They were confused with my behavior.

Right, they don't know who these people really are. I tried to signal to both of them that we need to talk.

Unfortunately, they didn't understand my gesture.

Soon enough, we had a party. If there was an opportunity, maybe I could slip away and talk to Zoro, Nami, Igaram or Vivi.

However, there were plenty of distractions and the people had separated us slightly from each other. If we had tried to go near one another, people would jump in the way.

Usopp had fans all over him with his lies.

Sanji was flirting with 20 women.

Luffy was eating so much that 10 cooks collapsed.

Nami and Zoro were having a drinking contest. Zoro stopped at 10 and Nami stopped at 12. I could tell they were holding back. They did try to get walk close to me but they noticed that people had always gotten in their way. The idiot trio hadn't noticed that we were separated.

Me? I was trying to stay calm and focused. Some of the women were trying to flirt with me, asking me if I wanted to dance. They were using all of their assets. Cleavage, boobs, eyes, pouts, smiles, their touch, their smell, everything they could even think of.

It was hard not to be turned on but I knew the consequences. I felt that I was on a mission so I was acting all quiet, moody, and mysterious. Unfortunately, that seemed to have attracted the girls even more.

I counted at least thirty different women trying to ask me for a dance. In my opinion, only three of them had a nice face. However, they were all too skinny and felt too bony. They weren't fat, but their bodies weren't nice to feel. I could only imagine how Nami's and Vivi's bodies feel like.

Ignore the fact that I just thought of that. I was trying to keep calm. That thought was not helping remain calm.

Anyways, I still refused the female bounty hunters. I even lied that I had a girl waiting for me. I elaborated on the lie that I had a beautiful woman with long black hair waiting for me. She was also the jealous type. I feared her.

Unfortunately, that seemed to attract them even more. They were all praising how loyal I was. To them, I was like a forbidden fruit that only made people want more.

Maybe, they were trying harder to lower my guard. That's why they acted like that.

Right?

Anyways, I was lucky with my previous training. I always had to be serious when I was guarding royalty. This came to good use. I decided to be the first one to leave the party and I was escorted to where we were going to sleep.

Man, they really thought of everything. There was someone waiting outside keeping an eye on me. I decided to pretend to go to sleep. I could still hear the party going on. I decided to just wait until the party ended. The party was loud.

After an hour, it finally stopped. I heard the door creak sensing that person's intent. I turned my body so that my body was lying flat on the ground.

As he got closer, I suddenly used both of my legs to kick him and jumped up. I then quickly got behind him in a choke hold position, knocking him out. It was show time. I was wondering if I should put the mask on right now. Maybe I would get some answers that way.

I decided not to. That might complicate things in the beginning. I also sensed that Zoro and Nami were still awake. They even separated where we were sleeping. Zoro had already begun his move. Nami stayed behind. If Zoro's going to fight everyone, Nami was probably going to rob the town. Which one should I do?

I thought about Vivi and Igaram. Guess I'll help Zoro. After all, I can't let him hurt Igaram and Vivi too much. Unless they changed too much 6 years ago.

* * *

I saw Zoro on a rooftop and waved my hand over. He looked at me and smiled. I came over and saw Igaram who hadn't noticed us yet. I put my hand over his shoulder.

"Leave the mayor and Miss Wednesday to me. I know who they are from work."

Zoro looked surprised but nodded. It was unspoken between us. I would be responsible for getting the information on this organization.

We turned and saw Igaram talking to the rest of the bounty hunters.

Zoro coughed. "Sorry but... would you mind letting those guys sleep for a bit longer? They're all tired the journey over here."

Show off. However, he definitely looked cool doing it.

A bounty hunter started running toward Igaram. "Mr. 8! Miss Monday! 2 of their crew escaped."

I smirked. I guess when Nami hears us fighting she'll start robbing the town.

More of the bounty hunters came running with their weapons out. They were alert.

Zoro continued. "I guess you'll be fine opponents for us. Baroque Works."

Mr. 9 yelled, "What! How do you know the name of our organization?"

Zoro smirked evilly. "That's not important. Let's just get this over with." He got one of his new swords out.

Igaram pointed and yelled. "Kill them!"

I hid behind a building but Zoro went to the middle of the crowd.

They cried out. "They're gone." They put their hands over look for us. He mimicked their action. Their eyes shot out when they realized he was in their midst.

Show off. He must have realized how weak they were.

By this time, I had punched out two hunters and I felt a third come behind me. As he jumped toward me, I sidestepped and kicked his stomach up and elbowed his back.

I looked over to Zoro. I could afford to not pay attention because they were weak. Only Igaram would probably give me some exercise. Zoro smiled. "Now then. Shall we get things started?" People tried to fire at him but ended up shooting themselves. He got 7 with that.

Why am I keeping track?

Igaram yelled. "You fools. Hurry up and kill them. There's only 2..." He stopped. He felt my presence behind him.

"Are you sure?" I taunted. I had already knocked 3 people on my way there.

8 people had come with their guns out ready to fire. They were so focused on me that they didn't realize Igaram was behind me.

I quickly jumped out of the way and ran around the alley. Igaram took out his saxophone shot gun and shot them.

I got 15.

As I ran hiding behind the building, I bumped into Zoro.

Zoro, seeing me, bragged. "I got 18." He was telling the truth.

I laughed. "I got 15. What's the prize?"

Zoro laughed, "No idea. What about you?"

"Meh." Personally, I didn't think I was going to win. I was focused on talking to either Igaram or Vivi.

As we bantered, we both heard, "Yeehaw! I found them." He then cocked his machine gun and fired.

We both rolled into the house. We were trapped between two firing squads. We both grabbed a table to protect both sides.

I miss the light bulletproof armor I could wear as a bodyguard. Maybe there was an armory I stop by.

Zoro drew his new sword out and sliced it away.

I used my table to ram outside. I beat the firing squad so that was 7 more people in my favor.

I felt about 20 people surrounding Igaram. So I went my way there.

As soon as I saw them running toward me, I went into a hand stand used my hands to move forward. As I got closer to them, I used my hands to spin and stretched my legs out. As I spun, my legs would kick them. Once I had fully spun around, I stopped and pretended to land normally. I then did a flip kick tossing 5 of them into the air.. They were out for good.

[AN: This combo is basically Woody's combo from Little Fighter 2]

I saw more people come. I was getting annoyed at this so I ran to the nearest one and kicked one in the face, causing him to go up. I then elbowed his gut so he flew knocking two others out.

One of the women who flirted with me drew out her sword and started charging at me. I sidestepped and karate chopped her neck. Another women was about to jump on me. I caught her legs and started spinning knocking 4 more with me. I then threw her toward her allies. As she was falling down in the air, I quickly jumped into the air to kick her faster in that direction. She landed toward two of her allies and that knocked them out.

So far, I took out a total of 38. There were four more before I could start fighting Igaram. I noticed that he was climbing up the roof to get into position. I think he was going to try to shoot me.

I hurried punching one in the gut. The last three rushed toward me at the same time. I easily sidestepped them and knocked them out with two blows to the stomach, neck, and chin. I quickly ran up the roof to meet Igaram.

He pulled on his tie and out came machine guns that hid in his hair.

I made a motion with my gloves and out came my claws.

He started firing at me.

My Haki was useless because Igaram didn't know where those bullets would hit. However, I could use my gloves to deflect the gunfire and dodge the bullets.

I haven't done this for a while but here's hoping I don't mess up.

As the bullets came closer, I used my bullets to block the bullets. None of the bullets hit my upper body. Only one bullet grazed the edge of my left knee.

The bullets stopped firing. He looked in shock that I had stopped them.

I actually wasn't happy. Sure I was alive, but I was actually scared for a moment. I felt that bullet was going to haunt me. I had a left thigh injury during my last job before I quit. The diagnosis was that it was possible that there could be future nerve damage if my leg got injured again. The doctor recommended me to rest up and to heal for two months. He wasn't sure what the nerve damage could do to my body. He listed that I could lose control of my left leg that could range for a certain amount of time or uncontrollable shaking.

When he said that, I knew that I would need more time to recover and that my life as a bodyguard or retrieval specialist was essentially over. Nerve damage was very hard to recover from. I didn't train the last six months because I didn't want to risk injuring my leg.

Yet I became a pirate. The last four days I thought I was doing fine with the work. I didn't overexert myself.

Back to the fight, I had slowed down but realized that my left leg was moving normally. Maybe, I was getting worried over nothing. Maybe I should see if there was a way to get a new diagnosis on my left leg.

I inwardly sighed. I could have asked Crocus before, but my leg didn't bother me before. I guess we'll wait until the next island. I need to focus.

I decided to speed towards Igaram. I retracted my claws. He got ready to punch me but I quickly grabbed his arm and used his momentum to carry him over. As I tossed him to the ground, I quickly put my right leg around his neck and also his arm at the same time. As I leaned back, I used one hand to move his punching hand away from him and used my other hand to put on my mask.

Once my mask was on, I leaned forward, turning toward him and letting him see my mask.

He remembered me.

"What's going on Igaram?" I barked out.

"Black Fox? What - "

I interrupted him. "I'm asking the questions here." I put a little more pressure on him and released the pressure immediately. He said the codename I used when I was guarding them. I forgot he didn't know my real name. We didn't allow our clients to know our real names. It was part of the bodyguard training. We were afraid if clients knew our names it would cause attachment. We were meant as shields nothing more.

He had spoken immediately. "I'm on a mission." Hearing that, I released my hold. There was no way he had thought of a cover story immediately. If he did, I would have to trust on whether I could identify his tells. He got up and looked at me. "The king was framed and we immediately went to investigate the culprit."

"King Cobra? What was he framed for?" I didn't really write down the politics of countries in my journals. That would be way too complicated.

"He was framed for using Dance powder. Only Alubarna would have rain while the other parts of the country didn't." I nodded, understanding what was going on. Dance powder was illegal. I never seen it before, but I had to know of it in my line of work.

"He's not the type to do that." The kingwas very self-less.

"He's not. We had information that this organization was causing a rebellion. Me and Vivi snuck into find out more. We found out that they had been manipulating this entire situation for at least the last three years."

My observation Haki was active and realized two stronger presences had entered the city. They were approaching Zoro and Vivi. I knew Zoro could take those two on by himself but I noticed that Vivi's presence was getting smaller. Zoro was probably fighting her. Also, Nami had finally started moving going house to house.

"Igaram. We need to run to Vivi. Let me talk to the first mate of my crew what's going on. He's the one who is cutting up everyone. I believe my crew will help you. In the meantime, think about what I need to know about this organization. I'm looking for powers, identities, and numbers." I was in bodyguard mode. I became super bossy but that was just because I needed to protect people. It seemed like seeing Vivi and Igaram again was helping me get stronger and putting me back to shape faster.

* * *

I directed him to where Vivi and Zoro. The entire crew had seen my mask before, but this was the first time I had actually worn it.

Vivi was in shock. She remembered me. She seemed to have forgotten her identity and yelled happily, "Black Fox. This man has been -"

"That's my crewmate. Both of you stop fighting." I interrupted.

"Black Fox?" Zoro was curious.

"Bodyguard codename."

"Oh? How does she know that?"

"She's an actual princess I protected six years ago."

Zoro smiled. "That's really interesting. Seems like we see how good of a bodyguard you were."

Vivi nodded, forgetting that the one who had spoken was just fighting her. "He was really awesome and nice. I remember we -"

"Sorry princess. Now's not the time. We can reminisce later. We have two people coming over. They just arrived on the island before." I pointed to the enemies. They were 400 meters away from us. I used my Haki again and noticed that Luffy had just woken up. Zoro nodded. He was going to fight them with me.

"That's Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. They're frontier agents." Igaram looked over.

"What are their abilities?" I asked. 350 meters away.

"5 ate the Bomu Bomu fruit. Miss Valentine ate the Kilo Kilo fruit."

"So every part of his body can be an explosion. And girl can go from 1 kg to 1000 kg. Vivi. Igaram. Find my navigator. The orange haired one. She's awake. She's robbing the town." 300 meters away.

Zoro yelled, "What! She was awake this entire?" Vivi and Igaram looked sad hearing that.

I ignored Zoro. "Tell her your situation. She'll charge you. But she'll help you. Go." Igaram nodded and ran. Vivi ran a bit and stopped to look at me.

250 meters away. We heard a yell from behind. "Zoro! Fox guy!" Me and Zoro shared a smile. It was Luffy. This was overkill. "I'll never forgive you guys! Fight me!"

We shared a confused look. What did we do? This was not the time.

We looked around at the broken city. Debris was scattered around the town. Barrels, crates, and glass was smashed. The windows were falling apart. People were stuck in the walls. Some bodies were bleeding. Other bodies had their bones broken. Someone was stuck in the ground face first.

Man, Zoro was ruthless. I didn't do any of that. I just knocked people unconscious with a couple of strikes.

"Ungrateful bastards like you need to be kicked!" Luffy continued yelling.

He wasn't making any sense.

200 meters away, they stopped, interested in our conversation.

"What Luffy?" I yelled.

"Ungrateful?" Zoro yelled.

"How dare you guys beat up every single of these townspeople after they gave us such a friendly welcome and fed us so much food?" He yelled.

We all faceplanted. Even Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine faceplanted. Did he not know what happen?

"How could he be so dense?" asked Vivi.

Hearing her too close to me, I turned to her, "Run. This will be messy."

Zoro turned to the captain. "Luffy, listen. Those townspeople were actually -"

I tried pulling Zoro away but Luffy was too fast and hit Zoro. I was pushed back and let go of Zoro. Otherwise, I would have flown with Zoro.

I heard a faint cry of Mr. Bushido from the distance.

I pleaded to my captain "Luffy, these people were trying to kill us."

Luffy tried punching me. Thankfully, I was able to dodge. However, I knew that I wouldn't be able to dodge forever. Since I met him, he always had a lot of stamina.

"Liar! What kind of enemies would feed us?" He was suddenly pushed away.

Zoro thankfully came back. He had pushed him with his blades. "Yuuto. I'll handle him. You get those agents."

I nodded and started running after those two. The two had decided to continue their mission.

I soon passed them but I noticed that Mr. 5 flicked a booger. I couldn't touch it with my seastone gloves because it wouldn't cancel the ability. Then again, I didn't want to touch a booger. I dodged as it exploded past me.

Mr. 5 looked angry.

I smiled and was about to take a fighting stance. I then rolled away.

Crash!

"Dammit. I missed!" In the smoke of rubble came out a blonde with short hair and green eyes with a yellow hat. She wore a yellow dress that did show her curves. She had a better body than the bounty hunters had. That showed that she did train. However, Vivi had better curves than her.

I shook my head. I was checking out the enemy. This was also not the time to be checking out bodies.

I quickly went up ready to punch her.

She smirked. "This is going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me." She tried to increase her mass.

Simple physics. A light object hitting a very heavy stationary object would normally transfer almost all momentum back, causing the lighter object to bounce back. The heavy stationary object wouldn't move at all. This was known as conservation of momentum.

However, I was going to break some laws of physics.

Well, actually the rules of physics were always being broken in the Grand Line.

Anyways, I had my seastone gloves. She wouldn't have her powers in contact with my gloves. She felt the pain as if she was her normal weight. She wasn't the heavy stationary object that she thought she was. I gave her an uppercut so she flew up a good 5 meters up in the air.

She wasn't knocked out but she couldn't focus as well. I leaped up into the air and struck her with two of my fists combined together, sending her back down. That was the knockout blow.

Mr. 5 looked in shock at my strength. Unfortunately, I was weaker that I actually appeared. As this happened, I dashed closer to him. Scared, he started firing his boogers at me. I sidestepped all of them. He was about to punch me but I blocked it with my palm. I quickly applied pressure. He started to not feel so well both the pain I was giving him and with the seastone. He tried to punch me with his other hand but I also blocked that with my other palm.

Smiling at him, I gave him a headbutt. His glasses were broken and he was knocked out. I used my Haki to check if there was someone else I needed to fight, but only the familiar ones were all conscious. Nami and Igaram were with Luffy and Zoro. It didn't seem like they were fighting anymore. Vivi had actually watched my fight. I smiled and tried walking. My Haki was almost out.

My left leg was numb. However, I could still move it. I needed to get this checked urgently.

As I walked by, I saw Vivi. She immediately hugged me.

"I'm so happy to meet you again Mr. Fox! You're stronger than I remembered."

I smiled at that and dropped my guard. Mr. Fox sounded childish, but it felt good hearing that. Protecting her was probably the best memory I had in my job.

"Yeah. It's great to see you too. You've really grown up. I didn't recognize you. You've become beautiful." I complimented genuinely.

It felt nice and brought some of the fun memories I had back then. She had laid her head on my chest. I was taller than her by about 15 centimeters. Her boobs were rubbing on my stomach. It was a nice feeling.

Thankfully, she released me and started blushing. If she continued, I was sure I would have been aroused and she would have felt that. It saved me a lot of embarrassment.

I should not be having these kinds of thoughts.

Even though she was young, she was becoming beautiful. She was going to have a lot of suitors. Igaram and Pell were going to have a fun time.

She suddenly slapped me as if she knew what I was thinking. "When did you become a pirate? Pirates are evil." She said.

I laughed. She didn't know what I was thinking. "I consider myself as an adventurer. Not pirates. Come properly introduce yourself. You've already met them."

I led her to Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Igaram. As we approached, Zoro looked up to me and said, "I won."

"Against Luffy?" I asked. Luffy looked at me confused.

"No. I got 58."

I laughed. I had forgotten about the competition once I had put on the mask. I still had my mask on.

"Let's talk about that on the ship. I think we have something interesting."

Luffy then asked. "Who are you?" He then pointed at me.

I put a hand on my mask. Nami just slapped him "That's Yuuto idiot."

"You saw his mask before." Zoro continued.

"Yuuto's also a superhero? Cool!" He had stars in his eyes.

"Mr. Fox. Your name's Yuuto?" I turned to Vivi and Igaram and nodded.

"That's my captain. He's an idiot but he's strong. This mask is for my job." I looked at Luffy. I don't think he listened to what I had just said.

He asked me, while picking his nose, "What kind of superhero name is Mr. Fox?"

I ignored that. "We have something more important right now."

Nami nodded. "Right. As I was negotiating with Igaram here, we will be paid 1 billion berris for taking this job of protecting the princess."

"We/They're not paying that." Vivi, Igaram, and I said simultaneously. A bodyguard was typically paid around 200 million berries per year. One mission was definitely not worth it.

I did partake in a lot of extra missions though.

Vivi elaborated. "My country right now is in civil war because of this organization. This organization wants to take over my kingdom."

Nami sighed and nodded. "I guess a country in the middle of a civil war won't have any money to spare."

Luffy asked, "So who is this boss dude?"

"You mean the boss's identity? Please don't ask. You're better off not knowing. If you knew, Baroque Works would come and hunt you down."

Nami looked afraid. "Yeah, leave us out of it." I was slightly disappointed when she said that. "A guy planning to take over a country must be an incredibly dangerous person."

Vivi continued. "Yes. Exactly. No matter how strong you may be, you are no match for the member of the Schibukai, Crocodile."

We all dropped our jaws. She just revealed a secret. Vivi closed her mouth. Igaram moaned, "Princess!"

I felt uncomfortable and saw a suspicious otter and vulture with sunglasses. I pointed them out.

As we all looked at them, the otter got on the vulture and flew away.

"That's the Unluckies!" Vivi cried. "They report directly to the boss. They will draw our faces to report to the boss."

Nami cried. I smiled. Good thing I still have my mask on.

Zoro and Luffy looked at each other. "Cool."

"Yeah, we're really lucky to be able to meet him so early." Zoro said.

Our first mate and captain were so alike sometimes.

I just sighed. Right now, only I had a chance of beating Crocodile and that was only because of my gloves. I probably had a 14% chance of beating him now.

I need to unlock Armament Haki. That would really boost my offensive abilities and give me a 40% chance of winning. Maybe I should see if I can get seastone on my shoes as well. I could only punch Devil Fruit users. I need a more versatile range of moves I can use.

I looked at Luffy. I contemplated. If he didn't fight Crocodile, he wouldn't get stronger. In order to help his dream come true, he would need to be able to fight Crocodile. Can I help train him to win? But how many lives would I be risking in doing that?

Igaram distracted me with his outlandish disguise. He was dressed like how Vivi was right now. He had even worn the short shorts and the circular dress.

I don't want to know why he even has that outfit.

Luffy said, "Whoa! You can definitely pull off the look!"

No wonder he didn't recognize me.

Zoro and Nami sweat dropped at that.

Igaram explained his plan that he was going to try to distract our pursuers. We would escort Vivi. He looked at me and Luffy especially at that. I nodded. I will protect Vivi.

It was a promise between old friends.

We weren't close and had only known each other for a week six years ago. But, they were great people.

Luffy agreed that we would escort Vivi. I turned to Vivi. She seemed surprised. I grinned. I knew my captain would help her.

He was a caring person who wanted to help people like I did.

* * *

As we bid good-bye to Igaram, there was a moment between Vivi and Igaram. Igaram was like Vivi's second father.

He gave me one last look to remind me. I nodded my head. With the notes he had given me, I was prepared. I just need to look over them.

He had sailed on and we looked on, wishing him a safe voyage.

"Aw. He left. He was such a funny guy." Luffy said. Maybe he was joking that Igaram could pull it off.

He then looked at me. "Who are you again?"

Nevermind. My mask was still on. "I'm Yuuto." I internally sighed. He was ridiculous.

As we walked toward our ship, we heard a loud boom.

The ship he sailed on exploded.

I quickly activated my Observation Haki to see if he was still alive. He was still alive. He had actually gotten to a life boat that we couldn't see because of the smoke. However, he was still injured and could die. My observation Haki then ran out.

I looked at Vivi. She wanted to cry. She was biting her lip. I came over but didn't touch her. It was part of the bodyguard training. Do not initiate contact with royalty and cause a scandal. I also didn't want to say anything to get her hopes up. I wasn't sure if he could make it.

Luffy was outraged. "He was a fine man!"

Zoro asked urgently, "Nami. How's the log?"

"It finished recording." Nami responded scared.

"Then let's hurry up and get going." I was glad that Zoro was acting this role. We needed someone else to be serious. I was worried about Vivi.

"We have to hurry up. Otherwise, Igaram's sacrifice would be in vain." I told her. She was still like the same little girl I knew all those years ago. She didn't want anyone to fight.

Nami came over to help. She pulled her in a hug. "It's alright. I promise we'll safely get you back to Alabasta. We saved all of East Blue by ourselves and that was before we had Mr. Fox."

I didn't say anything about what Nami had just called me. My codename was Black Fox and the police called me Scheming Fox. Those names sounded much better. But, now was not the time.

Vivi gave a weak smile which we knew she was faking. However, she started to run.

We got on the Going Merry last. Zoro was getting ready to leave while Luffy dragged Usopp and Sanji them to the boat across town. They were wide awake.

I noticed Carue who waved at me. He also got bigger too.

Usopp and Sanji didn't know what happened. They were completely clueless and fooled by the town. They wanted to stay in the town. I was about to explain the situation but Nami stopped me.

After carefully explaining the situation, with a few punches here and there for more convincing, they completely saw Nami's point of view. We started to set sail.

I sat down, feeling tired. I needed to rest. I hadn't slept for at least twenty hours.

"Be careful not to crash your ship into the rocks near the shore. And congratulations on your escape."

I froze. Adrenaline was kicking in again. I didn't recognize that voice.

"What a nice ship this is." The same voice continued.

I looked up and saw a woman dressed in a skimpy purple outfit. Her breasts were held together in a corset and she wore a really skimpy skirt. She wore a purple cowboy hat that made her look mysterious.

She looked hot with a nice body. She had a better body than Nami and Vivi. However, she was also older and therefore more developed. I was sure that if Nami or Vivi developed more than they would also have just as nice bodies.

I couldn't help but gulp. Thankfully, I still had my mask on so she didn't know I was starting to blush. I needed to think.

Why were there so many attractive women with nice bodies in the Grand Line?

Probably because in the Grand Line people are strong. Women also need to train and exercise more thus leading to more attractive bodies.

That's not the question I should be asking. Or the answer I should be thinking about. Maybe later.

Damn you Sanji. I think you made me more perverted.

Who is she? She's definitely looked dangerous.

That's a better question to ask.

"I must tell you Ms. Wednesday. I met up with Mr. 8 just a little while ago."

I scowled. She was dangerous. She's the one who did that to Igaram.

Vivi yelled, "What are you doing all the way out here? Ms. All Sunday!"

Nami asked, "Who is it? Who's partner is she?"

"She's Mr. 0's partner. She's the only one who knows the boss's true identity which is why Igaram and I tailed after her. To find out the boss as well!"

Ms. All Sunday looked up. I saw her eyes. They were brown. [AN: I'm going by the manga.] They looked familiar. I must have seen those eyes somewhere. In fact, her face seemed familiar too. I couldn't place it.

"Well technically, it was more like I let you tail after me." Interesting.

Luffy said, "Oh, so she's a good guy." He really didn't know what was going on.

Vivi shook her head. "I know. I bet that you're the one who told the boss that his identity was leaked. Just what exactly is your objective?" Hm? Vivi and her seemed to have talked a decent amount before.

"Now now. No need to get so worked up. I only let you follow because you looked so desperate. And it was just too amusing to observe. A single princess who foolishly thinks she can take on the entire Baroque Works organization to save her kingdom." I looked in shock. Actually Luffy might be on the right track.

She just implied that she knew that Vivi was a princess for a while now. I was going to have to do some digging to figure out if this woman had a bounty. Who was this woman? She actually doesn't seem that bad.

I shook my head. I was probably just attracted to her.

Vivi and the rest of the crew looked too angry to register.

"Don't underestimate me!" She yelled.

At that moment, Sanji and Usopp appeared with weapons out.

Ms. All Sunday sighed. "Would you please mind?" It was quick, but I saw some petals. "Don't point such dangerous weapons at me." That power seemed familiar.

Usopp and Sanji looked they were thrown over. That wasn't Conqueror's Haki.

They exclaimed in shock that it was a devil fruit. My crew needed to not be surprised about devil fruits.

Sanji looked up and saw her. Hearts appeared in his eyes. "Whoa! She's a real beauty."

Sanji, you're right but haven't you noticed that she's kind of the enemy right now?

The vice-president laughed. "No need to get so riled up. I haven't come her on any orders. Nor do I have any reasons for fighting you people."

I thought it was obvious that we were going against her goals. She should see us as a threat. She should try and kill us now

She turned to Luffy. His hat went to her. "So you're the captain of the straw-hat pirates. Monkey D. Luffy." She knew my captain's name. She must really pay attention to the news then.

"Gimme back my hat. So you are trying to pick a fight. I've now decided to see you as an enemy so come at me." I need to ask why that hat is important. He acted the same way when I touched his hat.

The enemy put the straw hat on top of her hat, making her look a little ridiculous. "How unfortunate. Small time pirates having to look after a princess targeted by us. And a lone princess having to entrust herself to a few small time pirates." She looked at me when she said the last part though.

"But above all, how unfortunate, your log pose points to Little Garden. Even if I weren't to lay a hand on you, it's more likely you'd still never reach Alabasta." She tossed Luffy's hat away. She threw out an eternal pose to Vivi.

Little Garden. I don't think I've heard of it before. That island might not be in my notes.

"You'll be able to skip Little Garden. The needle of that points to an island close to Alalbasta. More importantly, you won't be followed by Baroque Works."

We were all confused by her actions. We were all considering whether to use it or not. It could be a trap also.

Luffy grabbed the eternal pose and crushed it. Nami started kicking Luffy. She was scolding him.

I wanted to do the same thing and be angry, but at the same time, this is our captain. He decides what we do.

Luffy declared to her, "Don't think you can choose the path of our next journey." He said that stubbornly.

Luffy and his love for adventures. That's the reason why I called myself and this crew as adventurers.

Ms. All Sunday smiled. "I see. How unfortunate. Let us meet again if you survive." She also looked at me when she said that. I was confused.

Right before she was at the edge of the ship, she stopped and turned around. "It was good seeing you again Fox-kun."

I was really confused. Everyone else looked at me.

"What? I don't think we ever met."

She turned around and chuckled. "Yes we did. Remember. You were chasing after me five years ago around Lulusia Kingdom?"

Five years ago. At Lulusia. I was...

Oh.

She had jumped off before I said anything. This was going to be a big headache.

As she left, Sanji and Vivi ran up to me. I took off my mask.

Sanji grabbed my shirt, "You were chasing after her?"

Vivi asked, "How do you know her?"

Zoro looked at me and asked, "Is she another princess?"

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. I said, "Let me sleep. I'll answer your questions when I wake up." I started walking away. She brought up memories I didn't want to think about.

Vivi asked, "Who is she?" stopping me.

I sighed. I was about to go to my room. "Her real name is Nico Robin."

* * *

AN: So what do you think?

How do you think my OC knows Nico Robin?

Also, to those who are expecting certain things to happen. I am going to write the story according to the way I planned it because of the way I plan to develop the characters. Every crew member has his/her own story arc and development. Some other extra characters will have some development. I have a certain direction I want to go.

I think you will see what I mean by the story as my story gets longer. Hopefully, the other character development will be obvious by the end of Skypeia.

I'm not focusing on just my OC but also the Strawhats. I will start writing in the Strawhats POV in 2 chapters.

The story is meant to focus on adventure and friendship. However there will be some humor, romance, and family themes.

If you messaged me expecting something more, don't expect too much. You might be disappointed.

Please leave a review about a part you liked this chapter! I'm looking for something more concrete and constructive criticism.


	5. Chapter 5 Prep Before Little Garden

Disclaimer: No. I don't own One Piece.

Prep before Little Garden

Yuuto's POV

I woke up. I groaned. There was going to be a lot of planning on how to help Vivi and her country.

I finally had the chance to look at Igaram's notes to get an idea. I also took out my old journal. I needed to review what I knew about the Crocodile.

3 hours later

"What are we doing here?" Luffy asked.

Everyone was inside the Going Merry. All my crewmates and Vivi were seated around the table looking. Carue was in the corner. I stood up to give a presentation. I had made two pieces of paper with what I knew about Baroque Notes from the notes given to me. Those pieces of papers had the agents' codenames and rumored abilities. Everyone else except Luffy seemed to know that I was going to start talking about strategy.

I knew this crew really wasn't one for actual strategy, but I was just going to tell the powers of what we knew. When we got to Crocodile and Robin, I was going to go in more detail to show how dangerous they were.

"This is what we bodyguards normally do. If we hear any possible enemies around where we are, we share our information about their powers. Most importantly, we are going to fight a Shichibukai and his team. We need a plan."

Luffy picks his nose. "I thought we were just going to beat them up."

Zoro yawned. "Slice them to pieces."

Sanji took a cigarette. "Kick them until they surrender."

Vivi, Nami, and Usopp thankfully bonked each one on the head. I sighed, expecting something like this from them. Being on this crew can be a headache, but I was getting used to the antics. The strongest people in our crew weren't people who liked to follow a plan.

My bodyguard training told us we only had four rules of carrying out the mission.

Rule 1. Make the plan.

Rule 2. Execute the plan.

Rule 3. Expect the plan to go off rails.

Rule 4. Throw away the plan.

[AN: Quote from the Flash]

To be honest, I think I might have to change rule 3 to yelling at Luffy. Luffy is the reason why my future plans would go off rail.

"I'm just telling you guys what they do based off of the notes. After that, you can go beat them up however way we please." Vivi, Nami, and Usopp looked surprised at that. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were ok with that. That was going to be the best that I can do.

Luffy yelled, "Oi Sanji. Let's eat while Yuuto talks." Sanji nodded.

I sighed feeling a little bit disrespected after that. They weren't taking this seriously enough.

I did look at Zoro. He did give me a solemn look.

I guess I have one guy I can count on.

Sorry Vivi, Nami, and Usopp. If it comforts you, you guys are getting stronger. Unfortunately, not enough.

"Alright, let's start from the bottom. We already met Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine."

"Those are the ones you took care of at Whiskey Peak right?" asked Usopp.

"Correct. But, we didn't capture them or kill them. Meaning they could come back." I responded. I didn't think about that aspect at the time. I was preoccupied with Vivi watching me.

Gotta look cool in front of a princess you know.

"Mr. 5 ate the Bomu Bomu fruit. He can make any part of his body explode. That includes his breath. He could also swallow explosives." I looked to Usopp as I said that. I was warning him about using any explosives. Usopp nodded understanding what I was trying to say. I continued "Miss Valentine ate the Kilo Kilo fruit. She can change her mass from 1 kg to 1000 kg. Yes Sanji." Sanji had raised his hand to ask something.

"Is she beautiful?"

Nami and Vivi whacked him.

I sighed. "No. She is not." I answered truthfully. She wasn't attractive. Her hair was too short for my taste. "Any other questions about this pair? They only fought me, so they know what I can do. They also saw Luffy and Zoro fight." I said that warning the others that they might know about our abilities as well.

"Alright. Continuing on, we have Mr. Four and Miss Merry Christmas. From what Igaram wrote Mr. Four speaks very slow but he's super strong and able to carry a four ton bat."

"A four ton bat!" exclaimed Usopp. "I can only carry 5 kg at most."

We all looked at him pathetically. He quieted down after that.

"His partner, Miss Merry Christmas, ate the Mogu Mogu Fruit. She is a Mole Human. They also fight together. Vivi, do you have anything else to add about them?" We all looked at her expectantly.

Vivi had a cute look when she was concentrating. She smiled when she remembered what it was. "They have a dog that shoots cannon balls that eventually explode."

We all looked as if she were crazy. Luffy had stars in his eyes. "Cool!"

"Alright. Moving on to Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek. Now, this is the last group of the people that Vivi knows for sure. After this, we are going off of only Igaram. Mr. 3 ate the Doru Doru fruit. He's a wax/candle man. Miss Goldenweek is an artist who can use her paints to control people's moods. I've never heard of a power like that before." I looked at Vivi to see if she could explain more.

She shook her head. "Her Color Traps are so strong they overwrite the person's actions. You can fight against it with your will but it is hard to do so."

Nami then asked, "So someone who has a simple mind would completely fall under this control." At that statement, Zoro and Usopp looked at Luffy. I was getting worried about this implication.

Luffy cannot fight against this pair if we meet them.

Vivi nodded, "Yeah. But there's no way there's someone that simple minded."

We all started sweat dropping as Luffy continued eating sandwiches unaware. Was he even paying attention to what was just said?

Listen Luffy, you're going to regret not knowing the abilities of what one person does one day.

"Then we have Mr. 2. He's the only solo member. Unfortunately, he's a complete unknown. Igaram never met him. Vivi, did you hear anything about him?"

She shook her head no.

"Alright. So we have to skip him. Pay attention now. The next couple people are definitely dangerous. Zoro, I think you'll be interested in the next one. Mr. One and Miss Doublefinger. According to Igaram, Mr. One ate the Supa Supa Fruit. That means he turns into blades." I smiled at Zoro who gave me a smile back. He was definitely fighting this one. Everyone except Vivi nodded understanding why Zoro was going to fight this one.

"Now unfortunately, Igaram never met Miss Doublefinger. But there are rumors that she ate the Toge Toge Fruit. She's a spike woman. That's it about all the agents. Are there any questions?

"We don't know Mr. 2 at all?" Nami asked.

"No. Remember that these are the agents we might meet before we reach Alabasta." I sighed. That was what Robin implied yesterday.

* * *

"Now on to the main event. Crocodile and Nico Robin." Everyone seemed to tense more. Luffy seemed that he was paying more attention now. "I'll start off with the boss first. Here's his accomplishments."

"Crocodile ate the Suna Suna fruit. He controls sand. Seeing that we're fighting him in the desert, it's going to be hard."

Usopp started sweating.

I continued "He is currently the longest serving Shichibukai, serving for almost twenty years. His only bounty was 81 million berris before he became a Shichibukai."

Nami and Usopp started crying, hearing that.

"With inflation now, his first and only bounty is probably worth around 140 million berris now."

Sanji, hearing that, lightly blew out smoke.

"The news say he suffered a humiliating defeat to Whitebeard during his first few years as the warlord."

"Ha. He's not unbeatable if he lost to some guy named Whitebeard" cried out Luffy.

We all gave him a look at his ignorance.

"Whitebeard is a current Yonko, said to be an equal with Gold Roger. He is known as the strongest human alive. The point is Crocodile survived fighting Whitebeard who was probably at the end of his prime back then." I explained.

Zoro tensed up.

"Since then, he became the hero of Alabasta. Defeating any pirates that come."

Vivi interrupted. "Because of that, he has the people's support."

Sanji continued the line of thought, "With the people's support, he could easily become king if the king was overthrown."

Vivi said, "Exactly. Right now people hate my father because Baroque Works framed him for having Dance Powder."

"Dance Powder. What is that?" Usopp asked.

Nami answered, "It's an illegal good that causes it to rain."

"That doesn't sound bad." Luffy said.

Nami continued, "Normally, it's not. However, using Dance Powder steals other countries' rain because of crystallization of the surrounding clouds. So, Alabasta is currently in a drought because of Dance Powder."

"Ah. So it's a mystery powder."

Luffy and his simple mindedness. Then again, it's best to be short and to the point.

I started explaining again. "I will try to consider Crocodile's plan but we know what he's done so far. It makes me ask why Crocodile used Dance Powder? It's not fast enough to get King Cobra overthrown. Using Dance Powder for his endgame is interesting."

Vivi, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji realized what I was trying to get at. This whole thing has taken at least 3 years. Crocodile has been planning this for a long time. There was a lot of strategy that I needed to consider.

Luffy said, "Enough talking. We just need to kick Crocodile's ass."

I shook my head. If only it were that simple. "We can't immediately attack Crocodile immediately. We need to expose him. The public will be on his side. Until we expose him, then we can kick his ass. That's of course if we can even touch him."

"Are you doubting our captain here?" asked Usopp.

"I'm not. Crocodile's like Smoker. He'll turn to sand if we punch him unless Luffy unlocks Haki."

Luffy gave a burp. However, he knew this was going to be a tough battle because of the look on his face.

"So you mean, we can't even touch the boss." worried Usopp.

"Well not exactly. Seastone works so I'll touch him. However, I don't think I could even beat him even if I were in my prime."

My crewmates looked at me.

"I didn't train or exercise at all for 6 months. I am still getting the rust off." I reminded them and left out my left leg injury because that would worry them. "I think Luffy and I should be the most worried about fighting him."

Everyone nodded at that.

"Time for the biggest headache now." I continued

"Wait! There's someone stronger than Crocodile?" Nami yelled.

"No. Just someone who could be more dangerous and more troublesome. It's not the same thing." I replied.

"Miss All Sunday?" Vivi narrowed her eyes.

"Yes."

"But she's beautiful?" Sanji needed to get his priorities straight.

"Right. How do you know her?" Usopp asked the question I was dreading the most.

"Five years ago, I was ordered to kidnap her for the World Nobles."

* * *

Let me start by saying a couple points.

One, I hate kidnapping people. It's despicable. People are meant to be free. I learned that when I was young. I only kidnapped because of the World Nobles.

Two, Robin wasn't the only one I tried kidnapping. Those who I was ordered to kidnap, they got caught because they were weak. She was the only one who got away because she was stronger. Whenever I have to do a kidnapping, I always hold back. Unfortunately, a lot of the people I had to kidnap were civilians who really couldn't fight back. I also wasn't as strong as I was back then when I tried kidnapping her.

Lastly, when the World Noble asks you to do something. You are expected to carry it out. No questions asked. I hated working and protecting them sometimes but it was unavoidable. If I didn't, I would be killed. The only redeemable aspect of it was the pay.

It's even more annoying when a world noble wanted another wife even when they already had 12 wives. Robin was going to be "lucky" wife number 13.

Yeah, I'm happy she escaped and that I failed the mission.

The only reason why I lived even though I failed was because 6 bodyguards, including me, couldn't get her. I was considered the best of those 6, but 2 of them could definitely give a run for my money at the time. One of them had also potential to be great but he wasn't there yet. The World Nobles didn't want to lose 6 body guards at once. Unfortunately, the other 5 bodyguards later died in the future.

Thinking back on it, I'm lucky that I got out of the bodyguard life because my injury forced me to retire. I was probably going to die sooner or later.

I gave a short summary of what happened those five years ago to the crew.

Surprisingly, Luffy looked angry when I started talking about the World Nobles.

"How come you never mentioned you protected the World Nobles?" asked Nami.

I closed my eyes. "The worst things I've ever done in my entire life. I did for the World Nobles. "

Usopp, scared, asked, "What did you do?"

"Don't ask me that. I don't want to remember." I could almost remember every one of them.

Awkward silence. I wasn't getting looks of distrust, just scared looks.

Vivi, scared, said, "Continue explaining about Miss All Sunday."

"Those five years ago, taught me a couple things about Nico Robin. She's smart and resourceful. She'd be a really good spy." I paused. Unsure whether to say this part. "She might be an ally helping us."

Vivi yelled. "What do you mean Mr. Fox?" She refused to believe that.

"Her position. She said a couple things yesterday when we met. Besides the log pose, she said she let you follow her. She implied she knew that you were the princess while you were following. If she did, how come she didn't kill you? She let you find out who Crocodile was."

Everyone was shocked. Vivi interjected. "That doesn't matter. They're trying to kill us now."

"Was it because Crocodile found out who you were?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who's in charge of the applications for Baroque Works?"

"Miss All Sunday." Vivi answered, not seeing what I was getting at.

That confirmed some of my suspicions. "That means Crocodile didn't accept you. She did. I find it hard to believe that he didn't know the princess or the captain of the guard of the kingdom that he was trying to take over. You guys shouldn't have even have been in this organization for this long."

"But-"

"If she let you in and was following Crocodile's plan, she should have killed you guys earlier. When you were admitted in."

Vivi was silent.

I continued. "It's the same with what happened yesterday. If she truly agreed with Crocodile, she would have attacked us yesterday."

Vivi was shocked. "Then why is she helping us?"

"That I don't know." I genuinely did not know the answer to that. I knew I couldn't trust everything the government said about people, but Robin was dangerous for sure. "What I do know is that she's been hiding from the world government since she was 8. Maybe she's working with Crocodile to protect herself." I was just speculating.

"What do you mean?"

"She had a bounty when she was 8." I flipped to the bounty book I had. I showed a picture of when she was eight.

She had grown up very well.

That was weird for me to say because I am two years younger than her.

I continued, "She is supposedly wanted for sinking 8 battleships. Keep in mind this is her only bounty she ever gotten. This was 20 years ago."

Everyone was shocked at hearing she did.

"Listen. I don't know what to do with her. She stayed hidden from the government for 20 years. This is all the information we have." I looked around and saw everyone except Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji afraid.

"Don't be afraid of what the World Government says. They lie sometimes." I knew how it worked. They practically bend over to whatever the World Nobles want.

"But..." Usopp wanted to say something.

"Do you really think an 8 year old could sink 8 battleships?" I interrupted.

"But..." Nami said.

"Are all pirates evil?" That was my last question.

That shut Nami and Usopp up. They saw what I was getting at. We weren't evil.

Vivi answered. "No." I looked in surprise. "I remember how good of a person you were 6 years ago. You haven't changed since then. Because of you and this crew, I believe that some pirates can be good."

I smiled hearing that. It was encouraging to hear because I was remembering my past.

I continued. "Good. The point is we have to judge for ourselves what really happens before us. What we just talked about might be real and fake. We just need to be ready to face the possibilities."

"What about her powers?"

"I couldn't tell what they are. I only saw petals this time around. I was a lot weaker 5 years ago. I didn't even have Observation Haki yet."

Everyone looked stumped. This organization we were fighting against was really tough.

"There are some good news though." This was pure speculation however. I added hesitantly. "We could see if we get Robin to join our side."

A couple of yells shot throughout the room.

"What? Do you know how many people she killed? She killed Igaram."

"Yay another pretty woman!" Sanji said.

"Can we trust her?" Zoro asked.

"Why do we want her to join us?." Nami asked.

I raised my hands up. "I'm only speculating here. I'm not saying that she has to join our crew. I don't trust her. I'm just saying that she could help us fight Crocodile. She's not completely on his side like I mentioned."

"Is there something else?" Luffy looked at me saying that.

"5 years ago, she never tried killing us and the bodyguards. She had the opportunity to." I said truthfully. She wasn't a murderer.

We became silent at that. Luffy said, "We'll see what happens when we met."

We all agreed with that. We needed to see what actually happens. This was going to be the fight for our lives.

* * *

AN: Please leave a review about this chapter if you want and continue reading.

We know know more about my OC's past. You can tell it will become a big part of the story.

I know it's a lot of dialogue. That's why I came out with two updates. Hopefully, the next chapter has enough action for you guys. Also, it won't just be my OC's POV anymore.


	6. Chapter 6 Little Garden

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece.

* * *

Little Garden

 **Yuuto's POV**

As we entered Little Garden, I activated my Observation Haki. I warned everyone, "Remember. Baroque Works could be here."

Sanji asked, "Can you tell us if they are here?"

I shook my head no. "There are lots of animals here. I can't tell them apart without physically seeing them." I needed to train them more. Too many presences were wandering around. I needed to be train my Haki more to notice better.

"I want to go on an adventure." Luffy bellowed.

Usopp and Nami looked at him strangely. We had just seen dinosaurs.

This was our captain. Chances are he might be able to find trouble. I had no problems with him going.

He can beat almost everyone on the island. If he was in trouble, I would be able to tell.

He was asking everyone if we wanted to come along. I was surprised to see Vivi ask if she could come along.

I wanted to go with her but at the same time, I could see she had a look of adventure of her too. I decided not to join. Besides, Luffy would watch over her.

The two left dragging Carue with them.

Me and Zoro both said at the same time that we would go out for a walk. We were going to go separate ways. I was actually going to do some recon to see if I could find Baroque Works and spy on them. I have no idea what Zoro was doing.

Sanji asked, "Hey Yuuto! Zoro! We're running out of food. Can you guys hunt some animals down?"

I nodded.

Zoro instead taunted. "Sure thing. I'll hunt for some animals that you'd never be able to kill yourself."

Sanji started yelling incoherently. Soon enough, there was a competition between the two of them. I left myself.

As we made our separate ways, I felt two strong presence coming closer to our ship.

Shoot. Nami and Usopp are there by themselves.

As I ran back, I saw Nami with her staff out and Usopp with his slingshot ready to fight a giant. Seeing this, I hid behind a tree to see how strong they had gotten.

I was about to protect them but they were getting ready to fight. Maybe they can train here?

The giant had sliced a dinosaur and laughed.

"I am Elbaf's strongest warrior Brogy."

Elbaf is close to here?

"Because I got some meat. Let me welcome you as guests."

Maybe I didn't have to worry after all. Giants were not hostile to humans unless they were provoked. I will look around the island and check each presence. See if Baroque Works was here and find out what I can.

I put on my mask to see what I could find.

* * *

 **Usopp** POV [AN: First POV change in the story]

I stood entranced listening to Brogy tell about the talks of pride and honor.

I had just finished watching master Brogy fight with Dorry.

I couldn't help but jealous of the fight they had. This was a fight about pride.

I wish I could fight like that.

I want to become a proud warrior just like them. With honor and with pride. I was always hiding behind my allies.

Ever since I joined this crew, I've always hidden behind Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto. They were always so strong.

From now on, I won't hide behind my crew. I will fight.

Of the four, I appreciated Yuuto's efforts to helping me learn how to fight and his advice.

I think I understand what Yuuto was talking about when he first joined the crew.

The volcano erupted again.

"Go and get him Teacher Brogy."

As he left, I resolved in my heart that one day, I will die with pride and my last words will be 'I am Usopp, the great warrior of the seven seas.'

* * *

Scene change

I had just run from a dinosaur leaving Nami behind.

I wasn't strong enough to meet my dream yet.

[AN: It's Usopp. He's not going to suddenly become a badass.]

As I finished running around, I was lucky to meet up with Luffy and Vivi. Luffy was under a mountain.

As I explained the situation to them that Nami had probably been eaten by a dinosaur, Vivi warned, "What if it's Baroque Works? That rum may have been prepared for us to drink."

I was confused. I questioned, "What's wrong with the rum?"

"It exploded in Dory's stomach."

I was angry. How dare someone interfere with a duel. This was a duel of pride. "He went to fight with injury. And now, this fight will end because of this stupid reason."

As I finished saying the last sentence, we heard a giant slashing sound and blood gushing out. It was a hollow victory.

Luffy gushed out, "Who did this?"

It seemed that Luffy was just as angry as I was.

"We did."

We all turned around and looked. Vivi recognized them and blurted "It's Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine."

My knees started shaking. I pointed at them. I was going to fight. I was not going to run away.

I had already done that too many times

"Is he on the list too?"

I would be relieved hearing that. But...

"No, but he's one of their friends so we'd better kill him too."

Well, it doesn't matter. I can't run anymore. Otherwise, I wasn't going to become a brave warrior of the sea. I readied my slingshot and cried out, "You destroyed the honor of those giant's battle." I then shot an explosive.

Mr. 5 ate my explosive and fired something at me. I ran a little bit away trying to get away from it.

Yuuto already warned me that he can eat explosives. How did I forget that?

I smiled. I have a surprise for him.

I then prepared a different bullet and yelled, "Explosive bullet."

Mr. 5 ate it and started heating up. He then screamed spicy. As he did that, I fired a tobasco bullet at his eyes increasing his pain. I then shot many blunt bullets as I could to hurt him as I approached him.

"Usopp! Look out!"

I looked up and started running. A woman had dropped right where I was standing and caused a giant crater.

I need to get this woman away. I can't beat Miss Valentine. However, I could beat Mr. 5.

The only viable plan I had was to somehow get her blown somewhere else. Thankfully, Vivi tried fighting her.

Mr. 5 ordered to his partner, "Get Miss Wednesday to Mr. 3!"

We'll worry about Mr. 3 later.

Seeing Mr. 5 run to me, I aimed a marble at the ground and he slipped. I ran closer to him and started whacking him with my frying pan. I counted twenty hits.

When I was done, I checked and saw him having many bruises on his face.

I had won!

[AN: This is Usopp. He's not going to have an epic fight scene just yet]

I quickly looked over and saw Vivi losing against her opponent. I couldn't really do anything against her opponent too. I don't think any of my bullets could go hurt her if she was 10,000 kilograms.

I then fired an explosive bullet around where Luffy was, freeing him from the rubble.

Luffy could however.

* * *

Scene Break

As we beat both of them, I told both of them that Mr. 3 was also here because of what Mr. 5 had said.

They looked shocked.

"Remember that he ate the Doru Doru fruit. He's a candle man." I now understood why Yuuto told us their abilities. We had an edge because they didn't know what we could do. I wanted to remind them just in case.

If I didn't know about Mr. 5's powers, I wouldn't have prepared my special hot sauce bullets for him.

I had some special bullets for Mr. 3 too.

"That probably means Miss Goldenweek was here."

I forgot about her. That meant I have to make sure none of her paint gets on any of us. Especially Luffy.

We nodded and looked around the area particularly where the giants were fighting.

There, we found a giant birthday cake, which was three layers, with candles. Zoro and Nami were close stuck on the top layer. We found Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek nearby. Miss Goldenweek seemed to be eating.

I also found Master Broggy over his fallen rival.

Mr. 3 had gotten in the way of this sacred duel. I will never forgive Mr. 3 for doing so.

Mr. 3 said, "Oh. So you beat those losers Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine?"

How can he treat his comrades like that.

Nami looked over and cried out, "Luffy, can you destroy this pole before we become candle dolls?"

Luffy asked, "Eh? Are you guys in trouble?"

Zoro said, "No. Not really. Anyway, can you destroy the pole? I will take care of the rest."

I felt hurt. I wasn't acknowledged by my own crew as even strong enough to get rid of this pole.

However, I looked over and saw that Mr. 3 was using his abilities to make something.

He tried sticking some wax on Luffy but Luffy dodged. Some wax did get on Luffy's legs. He used his legs to destroy the pole on the cake.

"Good job Luffy!" cried out Nami.

"Nothing changed." countered Zoro.

"Wait a minute, my body is becoming harder." Nami said in distress.

Mr. 3 laughed, "As the candles become closer, the sooner you will become candles."

Shoot. We need to destroy those candles.

As Luffy tried to destroy those candles, Mr. 3 made a battle suit.

Luffy was going to be occupied. That means me and Vivi needed to take out this pole.

I see what Yuuto was saying now. We all need to get stronger because we are going to have many strong enemies. I needed to be counted on to destroy the pole while Luffy fights Mr. 3. After Luffy wins, that might not be enough time to save them.

I have to get stronger. Not just for the sake of my dream but so that my nakama doesn't die.

I grunted. Do I have enough firepower to destroy those candles?

I quickly fired my bullet hoping that Mr. 3 or Miss Goldenweek would not intervene.

It hit the ground at a red x twenty meters away from my target and exploded.

What? I've never missed. The red x looked freshly painted but was gone. I looked around closely and saw Miss Goldenweek and Vivi talking. Vivi seemed to be struggling. There was an out of place green paint on her shirt.

Miss Goldenweek has color traps. I just destroyed that so maybe I can fire and hit again.

I tried again but only caused a small fire. It wasn't hot enough to melt the candles quickly, but it was a start.

Note to self, I'm going to make more powerful explosive bullets next time.

Mr. 3 noticed and tried to stop me. He tried to shoot wax at me but Luffy took the hit for me. I quickly shot all the explosive bullets I had toward the cake.

I don't want my friends to be hit because they were protecting me.

I need to be able to protect them.

Thankfully, Luffy quickly broke free. I couldn't help but think of the possibility that maybe there will be eventually be an attack strong enough to knock Luffy out.

I looked to Zoro and Nami and saw that they were finally starting to move again. Soon enough they were free.

"Good job Usopp! You saved us." cried Zoro.

Nami smiled "I wasn't expecting it, but you did."

Broggy was also free.

I smiled at that and looked at Mr. 3. Mr. 3 was angry. "I'll kill you next time. I see you." He ran away while Luffy chased after him.

Miss Goldenweek was knocked out unconscious by Vivi.

We gathered close together. I couldn't help but say this "How does it feel to be saved by the great Usopp?" Zoro playfully whacked at my head while Nami gave an eye roll at that comment.

It felt good to actually brag about something truthfully.

* * *

Scene Break

 **Sanji** POV

I was sitting in this candle house with a den den mushi. I was searching high and low for lady Nami and Princess Vivi to be their shining knight. The jungles were a dangerous place.

Maybe they would be so thankful when I saved them that they would offer me a feel.

I decided to have some tea. Maybe they will also find this house.

A den den mushi rang.

I picked it up and asnwered, "Hello? This is the shitty restaurant. What would you like to order?"

"Stop playing idiot. Why don't you send a report?" It was a rough voice.

"Report." I was curious. Why would I send a report around here? "Who are you?"

"It's me. Mr. Zero."

Crap. This place must be where the Baroque Works agent is. Let's see. Candle. Who did Yuuto say had candle powers?

Mr. 3?

"Mister Zero?" I answered carefully. This was a Schibuki.

"It's already been quite some time since I sent you my orders. What is your status Mr. 3?"

I was right. It was Mr. 3. Shoot. Were my friends ok?

Damn it. I hope all my friends were ok. I was so focused on beating Marimo head.

"What are you being silent for?" That scared me. Was he getting suspicious? "I'm asking you a question. Have you eliminated Princess Vivi and the Strawhat pirates or not?"

I paused fearing the worst. However, I needed to take care of this. I breathed to calm myself to lie better.

"Yes" I lied hopefully that they weren't dead in real life. "I've carried out my mission. All the people who knew your secret are now no more. There is no need for further pursuit."

"I see. The unluckies are headed your way now."

Who are the unluckies? They weren't mentioned I think. Maybe I need to pay more attention to Yuuto's long explanations.

"Once they confirm your mission's success, they'll hand you a certain package."

"The unluckies? A package?" I needed to find out more information.

"That's right. An eternal pose to Alabasta."

If I give that to Vivi, maybe she'll be so happy that she'll ask to marry me.

I'll be a prince... again...

"Once you receive it, head to Alabasta with your partner. The time has come. We must carry out the most crucial step of our plan. You will await further details, once you arrive at Alabasta."

Shoot. That means princess Vivi's country will be attacked soon. We need to hurry then.

I look up and see an otter and vulture.

Shoot. They mentioned that an otter and vulture drew them. That must be the unluckies.

I made quick work of them but they fired a gun. Hopefully, Crocodile didn't hear that.

I picked up the mushi again.

"What happened?"

"Oh never mind that. It's really nothing. One of the strawhats just turned out to be barely alive." I quickly lied. "But I just finished him off so don't worry about it."

"One of them... was alive?" I felt a chill as he said that.

Crocodile doesn't have much patience does he?

"Didn't you say … you had carried out the mission successfully."

He's angry over this. What is he a perfectionist?

"I thought I had. But one of the buggers was stronger that I thought."

I was interrupted. "So in short, you had given me a false report at the time."

I tried not to gulp. I was lucky I was somewhere else too. "I suppose that's true if you want to be technical. But I really did finish him for sure now."

"Fine..." Him saying fine sounded very forced. "Just head straight for Alabasta right away. This will be the last time I contact you by Denden Mushi. I can't afford any marines to trace this call. The orders will be delivered the traditional way. Godspeed Mr. 3." He hung up.

I looked closely around the otter and vulture. I could cook them up too.

"Where is that eternal pose?" I smiled when I saw it.

Vivi's going to give me a kiss for this.

Then the door broke.

What! Crocodile's here too! I didn't see who it was.

"Sanji! Are you ok?"

It was Yuuto.

"You damn near scared me. I thought it was Crocodile for a moment there. What have you been doing? How did you know I was in here?"

"Observation Haki. I've been looking around the area." He was rubbing his left leg as he said that.

"What did you find?"

"Nothing. But our friends fought with someone who I think was Baroque Works. Don't worry they won!"

I looked at him a bit when he said that. He didn't look beat up when he said that meaning he didn't fight.

"Well, as long as they're ok. Look what I got!"

"Is that?" He looked over what I just picked up.

"Yes it is. The eternal pose to Alabasta. Now Vivi will definitely give me a kiss."

Yuuto gave me a scowl.

"Let's hurry and meet up with them." He quickly walked away. I ran to follow with him.

What got him in a bad mood?

As we made our way toward the crew, I saw Nami and Vivi. I yelled out, "Hello Nami and Vivi! And the rest!"

Yuuto cried out, "Good to know you guys are all safe."

Luffy waved at us while Usopp looked annoyed and said, "Now you guys show up?"

I looked at the giants frightened. "Are you Mr. 3?"

Nami asked, "How do you know about Mr. 3?"

I looked at Nami and saw that she was revealing more skin. It seemed that her boobs had grown exactly one centimeter wider ever since I met her. "You look electrifying as always."

I explained what had just happened. How I talked to Mr. 0 and got the eternal pose to Alabasta.

Vivi immediately hugged me.

I was starting to get a bit of a nosebleed when I felt her chest on me. They were really soft.

She cried, "Thank you so much Sanji. I was so worried over what to do?"

I smiled happily, "Y-you're welcome. I didn't think it would make you this happy though. " I looked at Yuuto taunting him. I mouthed "It's my win."

Yuuto was my only competition for the ladies' love. No one else was interested. Luffy and Zoro were not interested in girls; they were way too focused on their goals. Usopp mentioned that he had a girl waiting for him at home but he was probably lying about that.

Yuuto pretty much had this whole mysterious knight in shining armor with his cool looking fox mask. I couldn't help but be jealous of him.

Especially when at Whiskey Peak, I counted how he had **exactly** 42 different beautiful women asking him. I saw how they were touching him. He practically had them on his lap, and they were hugging him.

It was an absolute humiliation when I, Sanji, God's greatest gift to women, could only woo 24 women. Even worse was when not all 24 women didn't bless me with feeling their bodies.

I would not have him outdo me again!

"We should get going." Yuuto said with his face turning slightly red with anger.

Yeah yeah sore loser. You just don't want Vivi to start kissing me.

Nami and Vivi agreed with him, so we started walking toward the ship.

Zoro asked, "Hey do you remember our contest?"

Sure, Yuuto was my like my friendly rival, but I didn't hate him. It was more of a friendly rivalry we had going on. He was nice and helpful. The fact that he was willing to help cook just so I could help train was actually a touching sentiment. I just hated the fact that he had charm with the ladies that caused them to go crazy for.

I have more charm than him.

However, Zoro was a completely different story. He was like my arch rival/ nemesis. Everything he did annoyed me. Even the way, he breathed annoyed me.

I smirked at him. There was no way I was going to lose. "I'm sure I won that."

Marimo looked at me. "Nah. My catch is definitely bigger."

I'm gonna wipe that smile off his face.

As we got to the ship, we compared both of our prey. It was obvious that mine was bigger because mine had more meat around his head.

However, the directionless idiot wouldn't admit that.

As we stood arguing over who had the bigger animal, our idiot captain said, "Who cares. They both look pretty tasty to me."

We both yelled to him, "You stay out of this!"

I was not going to give him the satisfaction of winning this.

Then, I heard a beautiful voice, as if sent from heaven.

"How long are you two going to bicker? It's time to set sail!" cried out Nami.

"As you wish Nami!" I couldn't help but answer that.

We soon set sail.

* * *

Time skip (30 minutes later)

Still **Sanji's** POV

We had been sailing from Little Garden, on the way to Alabasta.

How we got out of Little Garden was quite an experience.

Our two giant friends stood in the sea as if they were going to protect us.

Well, they actually did protect us from the largest sea creature I have ever seen in my life. It was larger than Laboon.

It was hard to trust those giants at first but they did help us go through.

Usopp and Luffy were talking about how they were going to go Elbaf.

Musclehead idiot was training his kata strikes.

I was about to serve the girls some drinks on the deck. Yuuto was close by working on some martial arts katas.

I heard Vivi speak out, "I have to survive. And return to Alabasta."

I smiled. "No need to strain yourself Vivi. Because I'll be by your side!" I grinned at her. However, she wasn't looking at me. I caught her looking at Yuuto.

Come on Vivi. I'm just as good as Yuuto.

As I laid down the drinks for the girls, I heard a collapse.

Vivi cried out, "Mr. Fox!"

Nami also cried out, "Yuuto!"

I looked and saw Yuuto on the deck breathing heavily. I told the girls, "Don't worry. He probably injured himself." I walked over just to prove a point. When I got a good look at him, his face was abnormally red.

Worried, I put my hand over his head. He may be my rival, but he was becoming a great friend.

Fuck.

"Everyone! This is an emergency! Yuuto has an extremely high fever." I quickly yelled out.

* * *

AN: I hope you guys liked this chapter.

It was a breath of fresh air for me to write the story in different character's perspectives. I want everyone in the straw hat crew to get a chance to shine. This is hard to do when you are trying to balance 9 characters. It was fun writing it in Usopp's and Sanji's POV.

If they have an important role in the arc, I'll probably write the story in their point of view.

I hope you guys are noticing the development that Usopp had compared to the original story. He is meant to get stronger which is the purpose of my OC for the crew to get stronger. As the story gets deeper, you will hopefully see more development.

Unfortunately, this means I'm not writing the story in Nami's POV the next arc. In my opinion, she does have an important role in Drum Island. I will make up for this during later arcs though.

Think of my OC getting bitten because he joined the crew and changed the future of it.

Please leave a review telling me a part that you liked or a part that you disliked.


	7. Chapter 7 Drum Island

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or One Piece Chapter 922 (It's not out yet as of this chapter being published).

* * *

Drum Island

 **Vivi's** **POV**

Night time

I was lying on my bed in my room that I shared with Nami. I was thinking about all the major events that had just happened within the last 4 days. It was a lot to take in.

Igaram was dead.

I was trusting my life with a bunch of pirates, one of whom was a former crush who protected me 6 years ago. Said former crush was dangerously sick and could die.

Actually, I shouldn't say former.

I still had a crush on him.

I didn't think I still had a crush on him until I saw him at Whiskey Peak.

He acted the same as he did when I first met him. He was kind, strong, and gentle when he needed to be.

It was also the first time I saw his face when he rescued me inside the whale. He was physically attractive. He was definitely above average in terms of looks.

I blushed remembering how I felt his six pack with my chest.

I was deciding what to do. Stop at a nearby island and find a doctor or continue on to Alabasta.

A door opened and Nami came in.

I pretended to go back to sleep but Nami saw through that.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

I sighed. "Yeah."

"Worried about Alabasta or Yuuto-kun?" she asked.

I blushed and gulped at the same time. "Just Alabasta." I denied. "Yuuto's strong. He'll get through this fever. Alabasta's out my control."

She shook her head. "You don't have to pretend. I've seen you look at him when you think no one's looking."

I shook my head no. "No. I don't." I don't stare at him when no one's looking. I just do it naturally.

"I've heard you whisper in your sleep, 'Mr. Fox.' " she added seriosly.

I looked in shock. Those were my dreams. "I haven't been dreaming about him." I denied.

"Who said anything that you were dreaming about him?" She chimed in mischievously.

I had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. I sat up straight and put my knees in front of me to hide myself.

Looking at me, Nami added, "It's ok. I won't tell anyone." She paused. "He'd probably make the best husband out of all the guys here." She encouraged.

I gave her a jealous look. She saw it and continued. "Don't worry. I'm not attracted to him. I'm just stating the facts. He's kind, protective, dependable, smart, and loyal. I can't find something to criticize him about other than him being secretive. Even then, when he's been on the crew, he's been honest about it. Just takes a while for him to open up."

I barely heard the last part. I was bothered because she forgot to mention he was handsome.

Not that I thought Mr. Fox was handsome. He was …. well attractive...

Nami got closer to me and sat beside me. "You know. Lots of girls would kill to be in your position. You're literally a princess and you have a knight in shining armor– well actually bodyguard. That's what almost every little girl dreams about."

I looked at her. "Do you think he likes me too?" I remember my crush on him back then. I kind of wanted to marry him. I couldn't help it back then. He was really cool and mysterious.

She gave me a stare. "I think the more important question is if you love him?"

I gasped at that. I wasn't sure about that. Love seemed very complicated.

"Listen. I don't know what Yuuto's taste in woman. I don't even know for sure if he likes like you. He does flirt a little bit if he's not in his bodyguard mode. Even the stuff he says when he flirts with you can tell he's sincere about it. Sanji's compliments aren't sincere because he says that to anyone who has a large chest."

I looked at Nami blushing at what she had said so earnestly. I was always raised to be modest. She continued, "You're lucky that Yuuto's not like Sanji. Even though I have caught Yuuto staring at my chest or my hips," I felt embarrassed hearing that. "Yuuto would shake himself off and pretend it didn't happen. He doesn't seem to be the type to be looking for a relationship right now. If he did, he's the type to take it very seriously. "

I sighed a little bit hearing the last part.

She continued on, "If you love him, then you know what you will do."

I let out a breath. "I feel that even if I didn't love him. I would have stopped at a nearby island for a doctor." I looked at Nami. She was becoming a close confidant these days. It felt nice to have an actual fellow girl talk to you.

Igaram sometimes dressed like a girl to help me. I think he kept those outfits to help me laugh during the times we worked for Baroque Works.

Nami looked and laughed about that. "That's right. You are a very caring person. Remember that we are following your orders whether to go to Alabasta or find a nearby island for Yuuto."

"Thanks." I think we both knew what the decision was going to be.

"No problem." She gave me a quick hug.

Thinking back to what she said, I smiled and asked innocently, "Besides Yuuto, who do you think would make the best husband?"

Nami blushed and said, "I don't have to tell you that."

I laughed. This was my chance for revenge. "Is it Mr. Cook? He's pretty funny and caring." Nami shook her head. "Is it Mr. Luffy? He's pretty charming in his own way." Nami looked annoyed at that, gave a puff, and shook her head.

"Let's stop talking and go to sleep alright." She turned away when she said that.

I giggled. Somehow, I felt that I was right that it was one of those two. Both of them did care about Nami in their own way. I knew that Nami did care about both of them, but I didn't notice whether she may have paid more attention to one of them.

Maybe, I'll try to pay more attention next time. I wonder who it was exactly. That way I could tease her.

I tried to go back to sleep. Tomorrow, we were going to find an island that could help Mr. Fox.

* * *

The next day

 **Luffy's POV**

We found a snow island!

I love snow! I was outside excited. We were going to explore a new island.

Oh and find a doctor for Yuuto.

More importantly, we were going to have an adventure on this snow island.

"Aren't you cold Luffy? It's -10 degrees."

I asked, "What?" seeing my crewmates wear warm clothes.

"Ahh." I screamed. "It's freezing."

For some strange reason, my crewmates yelled at me for no reason.

As we got closer, I noticed that there were people. They seemed that they wanted to fight.

"You will turn around immediately. And leave this island at once." said one guy.

"Wait, we've come here for a doctor!" I yelled.

Vivi cried out, "We have a sick person on board."

Everyone waiting shouted, "Those lies won't work on us pirate scum!"

I frowned. Why does everyone seem to hate pirates?

Being a pirate is fun!

Suddenly, they fired at us but they missed. As Sanji was about to attack, Vivi pulled him aside as if to stop him from fighting.

Another gunshot fired. I saw a bullet hit her body.

I was pissed.

No one hurts my friend.

I looked at the one who fired the shot and got ready to stretch my arms out. However, something stopped me.

Vivi was pulling me back.

"This isn't a problem you can solve by fighting. You don't have to worry about me. The bullet only grazed my arm."

I looked at her. How could you be so forgiving about what just happened to you?

Vivi gave a determined look. She had let go of me and started to bow.

"I beg you! We promise not to set foot on your country. So could you please call a doctor. Our friend is gravely ill and in much pain! Please help him!"

"Vivi,..." I was shocked. It would be easy for me to just beat these people up and then we can go on our way.

"You're failing to carry out your duties as ship captain, Luffy." She continued. "Recklessly fighting isn't always going to solve everything."

I looked at her and thought that she didn't know what she was talking about.

Sanji kicked me to solve his problems of me eating too much.

Nami punched me to solve her problem of me being too adventurous.

Then again, I did continue eating and going on adventures.

I looked again and saw that she was still bleeding.

"If you were to start a fight now, what would become of Yuuto?"

I gave a sigh. Yuuto was a good friend of mine.

Then again, Sanji and Nami could never stop me from doing what I wanted to do. Fighting them would take too much time and effort.

"Sorry!" I admitted. "I was wrong!" I then bowed. I remember Makino's advice about making apologies and bowing. "We only ask for a doctor. Please save our friend."

After waiting for what felt like ten years, the leader spoke, "We'll lead you to our town. Follow me"

I then looked at Vivi. I smiled. "Shishi. You're amazing."

I laughed knowing that I shouldn't tell Vivi that I was ready to beat all of them up if they refused. Maybe I will try the same thing next time.

We followed the leader. I carried Yuuto while Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Vivi followed me. Zoro and Carue were going to stay on the deck to watch the ship.

We reached the leader's cabin.

"My apologies for the belated introduction. My name is Dalton and it is my job to guard this island." said Dalton.

He looked at Vivi and said, "I get the feeling that I've seen you before somewhere..."

I was about to blurt out that she was a princess but Nami covered my mouth.

Vivi stammered, "You must be imagining things. I'm sure we never met before. Anyway, tell me more about this witch you were talking about..."

Witches exist on this island?

I wonder if they poop.

Dalton pointed to a castle. "Dr. Kureha, who people on this country call witch, lives in that very castle on top of the mountain top."

I was going to take Yuuto there.

I was going to ask the witch if she pooped.

Dalton then kept talking on and on. I could barely pay attention.

"Her skills as a doctor are undeniable... most bizarre creature traveling with her... wait until she comes down."

That's all I remembered from what Dalton said.

I went to Yuuto.

"Hey Yuuto"

I slapped his face.

I heard some people behind me yell.

He looked at me very weakly and his eyes narrowed.

"Listen, we can't get a doctor unless we go up a mountain. We'll be hiking up."

He gave me a nod, mumbled something I couldn't hear clearly, and went back to sleep.

"Alright let's go meet this witch!" I was excited.

"Wait. Let me come with you!" Vivi cried out.

"No Vivi-chan. Don't. You'll only slow him down and that won't help Yuuto." Sanji said.

"Go with him Sanji. That idiot's going to need help." ordered Nami.

That's not nice Nami, calling Yuuto an idiot. He's only sick. I then flicked a booger on the ground.

"As you wish Nami-chan!" yelled Sanji.

"Alright Sanji. Let's hurry up and meet this witch doctor. She sounds interesting."

Dalton had pointed the direction that we should go. I grabbed Yuuto. Nami, Usopp, and Vivi tied Yuuto very closely to my back as if I was going to drop him.

When they were done, I started running toward the mountain.

* * *

On the mountain

 **Luffy POV**

"It's pretty cold with all this wind." I said. I was going to be observant like how Yuuto was.

Sanji asked a dumb question. "Why the hell are you wearing sandals in this weather? Just looking at your feet is making me feel dumb."

I answered very obviously "That's just my police."

Sanji stopped for a moment and said "It's called policy."

Oh. "In any case, did you know that people don't sleep in snow country?" It was nice to chat; we had nothing else to do.

"Why is that?" Sanji said as he rubbed his eyebrows.

"Because they'll die if they do."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"It's true. That's what a guy once told me."

"Who Usopp?"

"Nope. A guy from a bar." The guy from the bar said a lot of things though.

"Then why was there a bed in Dalton's home."

That stumped me a bit. I leaped over a log that suddenly came crashing down.

As I landed, I figured it out. "Ah. You're right. That bed must be when it's time for him to die." I said very smartly.

"That's even more ridiculous." Sanji yelled.

We continued our hike in silence. Sanji then asked, "Well, let me ask you this. Did you know that the women of snowy countries all have beautiful skin?"

We both jumped over another log ahead of us that came crashing down suddenly.

"Why's that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You know. How when it's cold, you rub your skin together? Well that's why."

I looked at him. He wasn't making any sense. He continued, "Having smooth white skin is the trademark of women in snowy countries."

"Why white?" I heard another tree fall behind me.

"That's because the color of snow seeps inside their skin."

That's dumb. "You're pretty stupid." I said. We stopped for a bit.

He pointed, "What's up with the rabbit?"

When we looked back, all the trees had fallen down. We got lucky that they didn't hit us while we were walking. I also noticed an animal next to the trees, pushing them down.

The animal noticed us and got angry.

Sanji then clarified, "What are these things?"

I looked more closely and saw big white polar bears. "They're white and big, so they gotta be polar bears."

Look, they're coming at us with their arms open. They want to give us a hug.

The closest one jumped and took out its claws.

Nevermind. They're trying to kill us.

As I got ready to punch one, Sanji then put a hand out. "Luffy. Make sure you don't get hit."

"I know that"

"You may not be affected, but every blow you receive will be transferred to Yuuto. Yuuto's strong but don't take too many. Be careful."

I nodded understanding. I would dodge them. I could only trust Sanji to protect us. Sanji then knocked out 5 of them immediately. I saw an opening and began running.

As I climbed higher and higher, with Sanji following me, the polar bears then jumped ahead of us. They then started jumping up and down.

Sanji looked in shock, "Luffy, we need to run."

"Where?" I thought that's what we've been doing this entire time.

"As long as it's far from here. There's an avalanche!" He yelled. He started running. I followed.

I pointed out to a cliff. Hopefully, the avalanche wouldn't reach us there.

The avalanche still came through, so I broke a tree and used it as a snowboard. I grabbed Sanji with me.

Those polar bears still kept coming after us. They were tossing trees at us.

"Look out a rock!" Sanji pointed behind me.

"We're gonna hit it." I was scared.

Sanji then pushed me off and said, "Remember that you have Yuuto."

As I was sent flying, Sanji hit the rock and flew. A tree also hit him.

"Sanji!" I yelled.

My nakama sacrificed himself for us.

I stretched my hand out to see if I could pick him up the mountain. I was going to have to take both of us up.

Fortunately, the avalanche had stopped and I was able to pick him up. I got off the sled. I needed to walk up the mountain.

On my way up again, I saw one of the small polar bears quickly digging up a hand that looked like it belonged to another polar bear.

Even though they had just tried to kill us, I wasn't angry. I just saw a small polar bear trying to save his friend.

Just like I was doing right now.

I pulled up the hand up and continued walking. I ignored those bears. I needed to save my nakama.

I heard a faint cry. "Look! Lord Wapol!"

I started running. I did not have time to deal with this.

I saw two men in front of me. They tried attacking me. I could only dodge.

If I attacked, I couldn't hold onto Sanji or Yuuto.

As I ran past them, I almost ran into a mouth.

I jumped in the air which, the two men had already prepared. I saw the punches and the arrow come close.

The polar bears attacked them. However, they weren't attacking me.

As I ran past, I noticed a small polar bear hanging on the neck of a larger polar bear. They looked familiar.

"Thank you for helping me!" I cried out, running.

"Don't let him get away." However, the polar bears blocked him.

I then got toward the base of the mountain. The fastest way was up. I adjusted Sanji by biting his clothes with my mouth.

I then started climbing.

Even though my hands were cold and numb, I needed to keep going.

Their lives were at stake.

I climbed, not keeping track of the time.

When I reached the top, I saw a castle.

I couldn't help but collapse after the journey. I then fell asleep. [ **1** ]

* * *

Time skip

Inside Drum Castle

 **Yuuto's** **POV**

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I looked outside and saw snow. Where am I?

I knew that I was sick with a fever, but I didn't feel as bad as before. I remember Luffy waking me up and telling us we were going onto a mountain. I told him to just leave me alone and let me go back to sleep.

Now, here I am.

I heard a noise that was walking by. I pretended to go back asleep.

I opened my eyes and saw a blue nosed reindeer walking on two legs. It was wearing a cute hat.

Did it nurse me back to health?

I noticed that I wasn't in any chains. I decided to yawn and slowly wake up.

The reindeer was scared by me waking up. It then ran away and hid.

Well, it hid the wrong way.

I asked looking at it, "Did you help me?" I just remembered that they don't talk.

It nodded then surprised me by asking. "Are you feeling better?"

I sat up. "Yes. How can you talk?" This reindeer seemed really nice.

"What are you?" He ignored my question.

I laughed. "I'm a pirate." It was best to be honest to someone who helped me, especially if he had such innocent eyes.

"Do you have a pirate flag?"

"Yes." I looked at him closely. I noticed something about him and questioned, "Do you want to be a pirate?"

Unfortunately, that seemed to be the wrong response as it started screaming and left the room.

I heard another pair of footsteps. I saw an old female doctor enter the room. She definitely had the best body any woman her age I had ever met.

She was wearing a shirt that showed her bellybutton with an earring. That was very awkward for me to look at.

I just realized I checked out a grandma.

Ew!

I looked at her. I meekly said, "Hi?"

"You must be feeling better." She then put a finger on top of my head and said, "38.2 degrees. You're getting better." I was impressed if she's right, she's an incredible doctor. "I am Doctor Kureha. Do you want to know the secret of my youthfulness?"

I stared at her questioningly. I inquired, "How old are you?"

She smirked and said "I am 139 years old."

I looked in shock. She definitely had the best body for anyone who was 80 years and older. Maybe even 70. I shook my head. "I'm probably going to die before I even reach 70."

She laughed at that. I continued, "Where am I?"

"You are currently at the castle on top of Drum Island." I nodded. I remember the King of Drum Island. I didn't like him; his attitude was like a World Noble. She then approached me and tapped my shoulder. "That's the problem. You got a bug bite. A prehistoric bug that's been extinct for 100 years. You're lucky I had some antibiotic. Where did you come from anyway?" She then gave me an intimidating stare as if she was interrogating me.

Seeing that I probably owed her my life, I answered truthfully, "I was at an island called Little Garden. It's a prehistoric island. We saw dinosaurs." It did fit with her story. I then tried to walk out of bed.

"Stay in bed. You can't go out yet."

When she said that, I remembered about my left leg. "Hey Doctor. Did you also look at my left leg? I might have some nerve damage."

She turned to me. "How do you know that?"

I sighed. "When I was walking around at Little Garden, I couldn't control my left leg for at least 30 minutes." I remembered what happened at Little Garden when my crew were fighting. I felt so powerless when I couldn't help them. There were so many presences around Little Garden and two of the agents came back. I was going to be a liability if something like that happened again.

I was thankful that they survived.

She looked in shock. She came over and analyzed my leg. She then touched my leg at 10 different spots.

I didn't say anything. I felt all 10 of the spots she touched me at.

She asked me if I felt all of them. I nodded yes. She then smiled. "You'll be fine. You just need to do some physical therapy."

I asked. "Are you sure? I used to be a bodyguard. Six months ago, the doctors..."

She laughed. "Trust me. You're fine. I touched you at your nerves. Yes, I felt nerve damage but you will survive. You will need to do some physical therapy for every week for four months. After that you won't have to do it. Think of the physical therapy as a warm up."

"But doctor. I'm a pirate. I'm going to use my left leg a lot to fight."

What I said made her smiled for a moment and then she frowned when I told her about the fighting part. "I see." I was scared. "That's tough. You can exercise it and kick people with it. It won't bother you if you're fighting. But your left leg can't get hurt. If it gets hurts enough times, then you won't be able to use it."

I sighed. At least, it was better than I anticipated. I smiled appreciatively "Thanks. Can I start on the physical therapy now? I need to get better soon for my crew." I was determined to heal this left leg.

She looked at me. "Sure. Let me teach you how you should stretch your legs."

I asked her, "Can you also draw the poses I should do? I'm a martial artist."

"You're really determined aren't you kid?

"The sooner my leg heals, the better I can protect my friends."

She smiled at that. "You have good friends. A boy with a strawhat carrying you and a blonde hair teen brought you here. As I was about to treat the boy, he grabbed my hand and said, 'They're my friends.' "

I smiled. "That's my captain and the cook. The captain's really protective of us." To be honest, I think we are all protective of each other.

Dr. Kureha smiled. "You think you can also take that reindeer with you guys too. He can help look after you. Actually, he's the one who treated you. I just double checked him."

I looked surprised. Here I thought it was her. I looked at her and laughed. "If he's good as you then that's not a problem. Why though?"

She then told me. "I think your crew can help cure his heart. That's if you want to call him your friend."

I looked at her curiously. She continued, "How about before we stretch, I'll tell you the story of Tony Tony Chopper."

She told me of a story of the blue-nosed reindeer who ate the Hito Hito fruit, meaning that he became a human. He was an outcast since he was born because of his blue nose. He was rejected by his own parents. Even when he ate the fruit, people rejected him because of his appearance.

I looked down. Loneliness was painful.

Even though I was with people a lot, I had not felt I had such close friends until I met the Straw Hat pirates.

They were definitely one of a kind. Luffy may be an idiot, but he had the nicest heart I had ever met.

If only the World Nobles and kings were like him, the world would be a much better place.

Continuing the story, there was one man that Chopper talked to. Dr. Hilruk, who was a fake doctor, saved Chopper from loneliness and wounds that the villagers had inflicted. He treated Chopper like a son. He taught Chopper about hope and life. He gave him his prized hat. However, the doctor was sick and tried to keep Chopper away.

She told how because the doctor was about to die, he didn't want to die in front of Chopper. Dr. Hilruk kicked Chopper out. Chopper had found out and sneaked into his house to find a medical book to help cure him.

I smiled at that. I felt that to be a crew member of the Straw Hats you had to be protective. He would fit right in.

He found a mushroom that had a skull and cross bones in the book. I was confused. That meant poison. Dr. Kureha had explained that Chopper thought was a symbol for hope because Dr. Hilruk explained it was a pirate flag. Chopper had found the most poisonous mushroom in the country.

I never really thought about how a pirate flag looked like a poison sign. I felt bad, already seeing where the story was going.

Chopper had found the mushroom and fought with his life for it. He brought to Dr. Hilruk. Dr. Hilruk was touched and ate the soup. He lied that he felt better. He told Chopper that he can become a doctor. He then went on to be killed by the Drum Island king.

I breathed in relief. To almost accidentally kill someone you care about. Especially if it's the first person to care for you must hurt a lot.

If he had killed him, it would have been heart breaking.

Dr Kureha had finished recounting the story of Dr. Hilruk. A fake, but a good man. Since his death, she honored his wishes and trained Chopper to become a doctor. Dr. Kureha said that Chopper was done with his training.

I smiled, "We do need a doctor. If Chopper is as good as you say he is, we'll have no problem at all. I think my captain will want him."

Soon , Chopper came running back. "Dr. Kureha. Wapol's back."

I got up to move, but Dr. Kureha quickly chained my legs and my arms. "You're not healed yet. You also have nerve damage. I won't let patients run around until they're fully healed."

They got up to leave. When they left, I smiled.

I could still escape from here. I still wore my gloves and could use the claws to scratch the chains. If that didn't work, I could try picking the lock.

I then activated my observation Haki and felt that Luffy and Sanji were the strongest fighters. I didn't really need to worry. However, maybe I could get Chopper to fight Wapol all by himself. That would resolve his issues.

I could take my time getting out of here. They shouldn't need my help. Little Garden was different because I felt the same two devil fruit users and a bunch of monsters.

* * *

Outside

 **Chopper's** **POV**

Me and Doctorine had just run out to the front gate.

The boy with the straw hat had just punched Wapol 20 feet away. Even though the boy had tried to eat me earlier, I couldn't help but feel happy seeing that Wapol had gotten punched.

The boy said, "You treated me badly last time. This time, I won't let you get away."

Did he know who he was talking to?

Dr. Kureha asked the group that came in, "You know them too?"

The boy said, "Of course. They are just pirates who tried to stop us." After a pause, "Did they just say he is a king?"

I opened my mouth. He just realized that.

Kuromarimo, the man with the afro, yelled, "You fools! You just realized what you just did?"

Chess, the archer, said, "They are insulting us!"

The boy then shivered. "It's cold!" He then ran back inside.

Maybe this boy was an idiot.

I looked at his companion, the blonde haired teenager who described how to cook me. I asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Huh?"

"That guy can stretch his body, right?"

"That's right. Luffy's a rubber man. He ate the Gomu Gomu fruit."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that he's a monster." He said the last part so happily.

I felt sad and jealous. I was a monster too. However, that Luffy guy seemed to have friends.

I didn't have any friends other than Doctorine.

It's probably because he looks human.

I sulked so much and ignored Wapol and his men's monologue. When it looked like they were about to attack, I remembered what they had done to my father. I transformed. "Doctor just wanted to help this country. That's why I can't allow you to get into this castle." This was my chance to avenge what Doctor stood for.

"I will never allow anyone to take Doctor's symbol of faith down here." I was going to beat Wapol and his men to a pulp.

Kuromarimo then threw a ball at Doctorine.

Luffy's friend blocked them with his leg. It seemed that he was also strong.

He tried shaking it off but it was stuck. I quickly came over to try to take it off, but it got stuck on me.

I noticed Chess starting to fire at us, and I quickly ran away from my partner.

As I got close to Chess, I was swallowed up by Wapol.

No. I don't want to be eaten alive by you! Especially not when I escaped from Luffy and his friend trying to eat me.

Luckily though soon after, Luffy hit Wapol spitting me out. I ran back to the other two. They didn't seem very interested in the fight.

I was wondering if this is how pirates acted. I looked over and saw Wapol mumble something.

"What's he going to do?"

He became a house and began eating his own men.

I had never seen this before but this is crazy.

Soon, the door opened, and out came Chessmarimo. They became one!

Luffy's friend said, "Didn't you just let him sit on top of you?"

Luffy said, "That's so cool! Sanji!"

Ah so his friend's name is Sanji.

I looked and saw Wapol become part cannon and fired at the pirate flag.

No. Not the symbol of hope! That's my father's pride.

I began running to Wapol and jumped to him. I heard a faint cry from Luffy asking me something. I transformed to my human state to punch Wapol.

I was soon blasted by a cannon.

"Hey you ugly!" cried out Luffy.

"How dare you call that to our king!"

I looked up and saw Luffy at the flag pole. His arm carried the flag.

He saved the flag!

"You're just a bunch of frauds. You became pirates without preparing to risk your lives. You will never understand the real meaning of the flag!"

Wapol questioned, "The true meaning of that flag? What' so important about that stupid flag? It's for decoration."

"That's why you're a piece of crap!"

"What did you say?"

"This flag is not something that you can play for fun."

"Who said that I was going to play with this flag? Who gave you the right to put that flag up again?"

He fired at the flag.

"Get out of the way!" I didn't want the flag to be destroyed.

"Who will let you destroy this flag? This flag is a symbol of will."

He got hit.

As the smoke cleared, I saw him still standing there and holding the flag up.

"See" Luffy bellowed. "This flag will never be broken!"

I think I see now Father what you are talking about.

Real pirates don't give up.

Luffy continued, "I don't know who's pirate flag this is. This flag is a promise of life." I could then tell he was looking at Wapol. "A person like you doesn't have a right to destroy this flag and laugh about it."

I was shocked. This pirate was amazing. He's great.

I wonder if I could travel with them.

I shook my head. No way they would want me to travel with them.

"Reindeer!" I looked at Luffy. "I'm going to beat them up real soon. What are you going to do?"

I wasn't sure. What could I do?

I heard a different voice. "Chopper!" I turned and saw my patient. He was wearing a fox mask now, but I could still smell him. "Go kick Wapol's ass!"

I couldn't help but cry a little bit at that.

I had strangers supporting me.

I ran towards Wapol but I was intercepted by Chessmarimo. "I won't let you lay a finger on the king." He then looked at me. "You're a strange creature. You don't have a single friend in this place. Why do you bother to help this empire?"

His words struck but I asserted. "Shut up! Even though I don't have anyone, I will continue to fight! As long as Doctor's flag is still here, I will -"

Luffy yelled, "Who said that he doesn't have anyone?" He had jumped down toward us.

Wait. Was he saying …

"He has me. I am his friend."

I heard another voice, "He also has me!" I looked back and saw my patient with the fox mask with his hand up. However, Doctorine was sitting on top of him and Sanji. I know that Doctorine was sitting on him because he was still healing.

Still, I never really talked to my fox patient, but I felt happy about that.

Luffy landed. "Are you ok?" I wondered out loud.

"I'm fine." He pointed at Chessmarimo. "Can you take care of him?"

I nodded.

"Good. Then I'll take care of the babbling mouth guy!"

"Save some for me. I need to give him a good punch." I needed some revenge for him trying to hurt Doctor's legacy.

"Shishishi. Sounds good."

I looked at my opponent. "My name is Tony Tony Chopper. The world's greatest doctor gave me this name. Even though he tried to save you, I cannot forgive you for laughing at his death."

I took out my rumble ball. I needed to defeat him in three minutes.

Chess started firing his arrows at me. I dodged them in my walk point.

As I was about 10 meters away, I changed to my heavy point. Chessmarimo took out his hammers and began swinging.

I jumped. I had transformed to jumping point.

"That's a powerful jump" I heard someone say.

"Yeah. He jumped at least 60 meters in the air."

As I descended, I transformed to guard point. I was vulnerable. I was sure my enemy would try to hit me.

Sure enough he did, but he only pushed me back.

"Shouldn't you only have 3 different transformations?" my opponent questioned.

"Rumble ball lets me unlock 7 different transformations." I had only used 5 so far.

I transformed to arms point and punched him. He was still conscious. I then ran away to increase my distance. I then transformed to brain point.

My time was almost over. I had more than a minute left.

Scope.

It took me about ten seconds but I found a weakness. His chins.

He started running toward me and I slid between his feet. As he turned around, I jumped up and went to arms point. I gave him an uppercut.

"Good job reindeer! Hey. Where's that big mouth?" Luffy cried out.

I sniffed the air. "He's inside the castle."

"Let's get him!" Luffy exclaimed. I ran after him.

My rumble ball was over.

As we both entered inside the castle, we saw Wapol running. He was trying to get to the weapon armory.

Luffy intercepted him. Wapol looked at him and started running away. I saw this and punched him.

He looked at me and started running toward a cannon.

I laughed. He didn't know that it became a bird's nest. I fell down feeling exhausted.

I wasn't able to punch him as hard as I liked but it felt good.

I felt that Doctor would have been happy with what I just did. I heard a voice, "Reindeer?"

I looked around and saw the patient with the fox mask. He asked me, "You never finished answering my question. Do you want to be a pirate?"

I yelped. " I want to... But I'm a reindeer."

"I'm sure my captain will want you."

"But... but..."

"Ask my captain. I'm sure he wants you. You're pretty cool."

I felt my arms go squiggly. I cried out, "You saying that doesn't make me happy stupid." I couldn't help but blush.

I didn't want to be praised. I was just doing my job.

He looked at me and waved his hand.

I then heard a thud. I saw Wapol fly through the sky.

"That's our captain. He's strong like a monster."

"Like a monster?" I asked.

"But he's a good one. He protects his friends." He assured.

Hm. I never thought about a monster who could protect someone.

Maybe I could be like that too.

Who am I kidding? I'm a reindeer, I'm not even human.

I sniffed the air and realized more people were coming. I hope they weren't with Wapol.

I ran outside and hid behind one of the trees. I saw a familiar man who I fought before. He turned into a bison.

Why did it seem that he saw me and recognized me? I was hiding so well.

He bowed before Luffy, expressing his thanks.

Luffy then turned around and seemed to have found me from my hiding spot. He yelled, "Wait for me!" and started chasing me.

I started running, not really listening to what he was saying. I was scared because I had heard some of the people call me monster.

Even after what I had done for the country, I was still called a monster.

After a while, Luffy lost me, so I took the opportunity to go back to the castle and sit on top of roof close to the flag. This was my favorite spot to sit. It gave me a great view of the moon, and I saw Doctor's pirate flag.

It was comforting.

"Hey reindeer!" That sounded like Luffy. I sighed.

Why is he still looking for me?

"Just come and be a pirate with us!"

There it is again. My hopes were rising but I knew they would come crashing down when they realized that I was a monster.

"Give it up Luffy."

"Maybe he doesn't want to become a pirate."

Those two unfamiliar voices made me a little sad.

"How can you know that? I want to take him with me!" Luffy said undeterred.

Again my hopes rose. I shook my head. It's not that I don't want to go with them. But I can't go with them. I can't.

They're humans. I'm a reindeer. I decided to decline their offer.

I walked out the castle doors and saw Luffy, Fox, and two other men I've never seen before.

"Hey. You want to come be a pirate with me right?"

I solemnly shook my head and said. "No. It's impossible."

"Why is it impossible? A pirate's life is very fun you know."

I looked down. "I really want to. Thank you." I closed my eyes and began shouting. "But I'm a reindeer. I have antlers and hooves. I also have a blue nose!" I paused and quieted down a little.

"Actually, I want to be a pirate. But I'm not human. I'm a monster. I can't be friends with humans." I couldn't help but start sniffling. "Thank you for asking me! But I will stay here." I breathed in and out.

This is the first time I've had more than one friend.

"If you are bored, just come to visit me sometimes." I added the last part hopefully. However, I felt that they wouldn't ever do that. They would just forget me.

"Just shut up and come with us!"

I couldn't help but start crying. The doubts and fears I had were gone. My hopes were right all along.

Maybe, I found friends who I belonged with

"Ok!" I shouted. I was going to become a pirate!

* * *

Time Skip

On the Ship

 **Yuuto POV**

Before we left Drum Island, Dr. Kureha quickly showed me all the stretches I needed to do. She didn't want us to go because we were her patients. Thankfully, I told her that technically we were Chopper's patients. We were given the ok to leave after that.

Even though Doctor Kureha didn't want to say good-bye to Chopper, she did so in a very caring way.

I guess that's why she was so happy when she found the key going to the armory on the ground. It was to release those cannons to sprinkle the sakura petals.

It was definitely one of the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in the full moon. Unfortunately, it was ruined when Luffy said something very bizarre.

"AH! I forgot to ask the witch if she pooped!"

Nami whacked him.

Who knows what goes on in Luffy's mind sometimes but what a way to kill the mood Luffy.

On board our ship, we were celebrating that our new crew mate had joined us.

I smiled remembering that I promised Dr. Kureha that I would protect him.

As we started celebrating, Chopper revealed he had another talent. He could talk to animals. That would be useful for Carue.

In fact, none of the crewmates realized that I had actually recruited him to be the ship's doctor until I told them that.

We continued celebrating. Chopper had put up chopsticks up his nose like Luffy and Usopp. Zoro and Sanji were having a contest. Nami was laughing.

I looked at Vivi who was also celebrating with us. I smiled, happy that she could be happy even with Alabasta's impending situation.

I then frowned, remembering the news I had read on the newspaper the day we landed on Little Garden. Maybe she didn't know yet.

I sighed, deciding to tell her tomorrow. Tomorrow, I would also begin planning what we would do when we reached Alabasta.

But tonight, it was hard for me to ruin her smile after getting a new crew member.

* * *

AN:

[ **1]** Look at chapter 137-138. I included this scene because it shows how Luffy is. Also, the polar bears are the bunnies, but it's Luffy's POV he thinks they're polar bears.

I had a lot of fun writing Luffy's and Chopper's POV. I would say Chopper' story actually made me want to cry when I first read it.

I will probably write some actual romance in the future that actually involves both characters.

However, let me say romance will not be the main driving point of the story. It's still a story of adventure and friendship. Please do not misinterpret friendship moments as romance moments.


	8. Chapter 8 Before Alabasta

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I'm not Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

Before Alabasta

 **Yuuto POV**

The next morning

I had gotten up. When I walked inside the ship, I saw Chopper and began asking him to make sure that I stretched correctly.

In the meantime, I decided to tell him about our crew and the situation we're in while I stretched. He also talked about some of the fighting techniques he knew. I told him I could help him with wrestling etc.

I told him about the interesting quirks our crew had and their strengths. I told him about Baroque Works and the situation we're in.

He seemed pretty happy. He didn't realize that one of the crew members was a princess. It also seemed nice that we were helping her country.

I froze at that. I wasn't sure if Vivi would permanently join us.

I mean, it'd be nice to have her join us. She really had grown quite a bit. She's becoming more womanly and developing curves.

Stop thinking that.

She was becoming a valued friend. She could definitely help play peacemaker.

However, she was a princess. A princess was important to her country.

Then again, it was up to her to decide what she wanted to do.

"Yuuto?" Chopper had stared at me blankly wondering. I had stopped my stretches.

"Sorry. I was thinking. Anyways, I hope you have looked through those notes. They are people we will fight during our time there."

"Got it. You can count on me, Yuuto."

I chuckled. He seemed to have started admiring me when I told him I was a bodyguard.

Suddenly, I felt an unfamiliar presence. I told Chopper, "We have an intruder on the ship." I took out my mask while he quickly ran outside to look.

When I went outside, I saw this guy wearing a ballerina suit with swans.

I think he was a guy but he was twirling. Was he an okama?

He then yelled out, "This is my power." He then slapped Luffy with his right hand. I started running down the stairs toward him. However, I heard Luffy's voice as I approached the enemy.

"Wait. Wait. This is my show!"

We were shocked when we saw Luffy standing in place of the enemy. I looked again and saw Luffy sitting down.

This must have been a devil fruit. I stepped back. It was obvious to tell which one was the real Luffy by the clothes, but he didn't seem like he was attacking us.

Usopp cried out, "They're identical."

"The voice and even the physique is the same," exclaimed Nami.

The Luffy impostor used his hand to touch his face and went back to normal. The impostor then touched everyone except me, Vivi, and Sanji. Sanji was still in the kitchen. Vivi and I were far away. Even if he were to try and touch me, I would beat him up.

That's a dangerous ability to have.

He showed us all that he imitated Usopp, Zoro, and Nami perfectly. He even showed off Nami's body by exposing it.

I turned away. I didn't want to look, but apparently Usopp and Luffy did, judging from their reactions.

Nami beat the guys and the okama up.

The okama recovered very soon and started proclaiming, "I've got a perfect memory of every face I've touched."

He showed a bunch of faces. There was one face that surprised me. I looked at Vivi and realized I was correct.

He showed the king's face.

He was definitely trouble.

Another ship approached us. The okama cried out, "It's time for me to leave. May we still be friends the next time we meet!"

Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper cried out. "We'll see you again." I hope we don't. He was weird.

"Let's go my lovelies." He said as he got on the ship.

"Yes sir. Mr. 2!"

We were all shocked.

I was angry at the crew for letting their guard down. We should have beat him when we had the chance.

Luffy cried out "Vivi. You didn't recognize his face?"

Vivi bowed down. "I didn't know. I just remembered that I had heard he was an okama and wore a swan coat."

Everyone looked at her and said, "You should have noticed."

I facepalmed. She had forgotten this during the prepwork. [1]

I called out, "Any ways. What's done is what's done. We didn't know about Mr. 2's ability. This is why information is important."

Chopper looked at me, "That was Mr. 2 of Baroque Works! He wasn't in the list you sent me. Did I misread it?" He looked as if he had just failed something important and was about to cry.

I looked at him and shook my head. "No. When I made that, I didn't know what he did." I tried patting his head in comfort.

Zoro also came over, "You read it correctly. We never heard anything that Mr. 2 could transform to people. Yuuto didn't know and Vivi never mentioned it. We all fell for it." I gestured to Zoro, appreciating the back up. I noticed that Zoro also had a soft spot for Chopper ever since Chopper joined.

Vivi also continued, "It's my fault too Mr. Chopper."

That really did cheer Chopper up. "Ok." He smiled. Sanji came to the deck, wondering what was going on.

"We just met Mr. 2." I informed Sanji.

"Did you guys beat him up?" He asked.

"No. We didn't know he was Mr. 2 but he has a dangerous ability." Usopp answered.

Luffy said, "He can look like us. He even copied –-" Luffy's mouth was suddenly covered up by Nami.

Nami continued, "It's going to make us hard to trust each other."

Zoro looked and said, "Yes. Now that we know Mr. 2's ability however. We can use countermeasures."

I looked at Zoro. He really wasn't the type to think about stuff like this.

"First, we have a bandage on our left arm." Zoro continued. "If you feel that any of us are being suspicious, take off the bandage and show a symbol. If they can't do that, it's him"

"That's a good plan." I admitted. I could also check people using my observation Haki. I can tell my crew mates' auras apart. However, I probably needed to verify to other people that I was myself.

"Wow, a second symbol is so intelligent and unlike you to come up with. Does that mean you're already Mr. 2?" challenged Sanji. I was starting to get nervous when Sanji said that. I quickly used my observation Haki just to double check.

"You're dead punk."

Definitely Zoro.

Usopp wiped a sweat, "Whew, that was Zoro." Glad to know that I wasn't the only one who agreed with Sanji.

Luffy added, "Let's make that mark be a symbol of our friendship." We all nodded to that appreciating the gesture.

After a while of time, "Mr. 2 also seemed like a martial artist." I noted. Everyone else looked at me wondering how I figured that.

"It's the way he moved." I shrugged. "There's a particular motion in the way he walked. Also, his coat had the word kenpo on it. I missed what he rest of it said." As a bodyguard, you have to be attentive to the details.

I continued, "As a reminder, he touched Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper. He also showed Vivi's father, the king of Alabasta."

Vivi nodded.

"That's definitely not good." Nami stated.

"Right, with that ability, he could easily frame the king for doing something he didn't do. Maybe even wrongfully confess something he didn't do."

"Like the dance powder." Vivi connected the dots.

"Exactly. Nami, how many days do we have until we get to Alabasta?" Nami would know best.

"Tomorrow why?" She responded.

"That means it's also going to take him tomorrow to get to Alabasta. He'll probably find out that we were his enemies too. Most importantly, it gives me time to plan." To help Vivi, I was going to need to think about the best course of action during the time.

* * *

That night

 **Yuuto POV**

I had just finished asking Sanji about his phone conversation with Mr. 0 in our meeting room. He told me the impression that he had gotten from Crocodile. It seemed that Crocodile had low tolerance for failure. Sanji bid me goodnight. I knew I had a long night ahead of me.

The ones who plan to overthrow kings always seem to have tolerance for failure. It was a typical character flaw. Those people always had contingency plans.

I was frustrated. I had been working on this for the last 7 hours straight. Chopper brought me food but I had barely started eating it.

I didn't want my crew to die because we weren't prepared. I trusted my crew to be strong, but there was always a chance for them to be careless.

I wasn't going to be able to predict everything, but I think right now I could at least give my crew and Vivi a 30% of winning against Crocodile's possible schemes.

I loudly pounded the table. That wasn't good enough.

"Mr. Fox?"

I turned around and saw Vivi from the door. Nami had told her about how the royal army had 300,000 switch over to the rebel side. It wasn't looking good. I looked at her more carefully. She seemed really shy and anxious about this whole situation.

"Yes princess?" I couldn't help but be in bodyguard mode when I saw her. It came with the training I had.

She stepped inside. I wanted to stand up but she motioned that it was ok for me to keep sitting down.

She started, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done." It seemed that after she said that her shyness disappeared.

I looked at her confused. "I wanted to thank you for your careful plans you made." She looked more confident and slowly began inching towards me while I sat there entranced. She looked older and more beautiful tonight.

"I want to thank you for saving me back at Whiskey Peak." She took off her hair tie, letting her hair flow naturally on her shoulders. She looked like she was in her 20's when she did that. It gave her more of a sophisticated look.

Normally, I would get up and walked away, but I couldn't help but stare. She began sneaking up toward me.

She got closer to me. When she was about a meter away, she whispered, "I want to thank you for helping convince your crew to help me in my time of need."

I couldn't speak. I wanted to say that it wasn't a problem. My crew didn't need to be convinced. However, my mouth couldn't move.

She slowly made her way and sat on my lap. I just noticed that she magically got taller since this afternoon.

I gulped and tried to calm down. I couldn't push her off. My body wouldn't move. Was my left leg injury affecting my entire body? I was eye level with her bosom.

I quickly turned my neck and looked away. However, she grabbed my face and caused me to make eye contact with her. She looked at me, "Don't worry. I know that we'll beat Crocodile." She then turned slightly around and slid a little down. When she was low enough, she moved close enough that her I felt her chest around my chest.

That motion felt so erotic. I couldn't help but try to look somewhere else. I was afraid she might feel something around her hips. She was on me in a very compromising position. However, she placed a firm grip around my face, forcing me to look at her face. I couldn't help but focus on her eyes that seemed to be full of desire and her soft lips.

"Why?" I finally got a word out. If only I could move out of this torturous position.

She smirked at me teasing. "Because I have you. Maybe after this whole situation, you'll be rewarded." She said the last sentence provocatively. She then grabbed the back of my neck, closed her eyes, and moved toward my lips.

My body, acting out of impulse, also closed my eyes and moved closer. Just before our lips touched, I heard a voice saying, "Mr. Fox." [2]

* * *

I woke up. I had fallen asleep in the meeting room. I checked the time; it was 11 PM.

I then looked at the door and saw Princess Vivi standing by in a similar pose as how my dream had begun.

I needed to calm down so I had to scoot my chair forward. I didn't want to stand up otherwise she'd see something.

I needed to calm down.

"Yes princess?" I asked. I started breathing. It was only a dream. She was still a young teenager not a fully grown temptress.

She stepped inside. She started, "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done."

That gave me a look of horror. It was the first thing she said in my dream.

It wasn't that Vivi was unattractive. I didn't know what to do.

Vivi was a friend who deserved to be treated right. I don't want to screw around with someone I'm close to.

"Are you ok Mr. Fox?" she asked noticing my predicament.

I breathed. This was not a dream. The real Vivi would not do what I just dreamed especially the last part.

Focus Yuuto. "Yes. Just tired."

She laughed a little. It was cute. "I was saying. Thank you for what you've done for me these last couple days."

I laughed, "I should be thanking you for taking care of me when I was sick."

She blushed at that. "You've done a lot for me."

"Not really."

"That's what I like about you. You were always modest. I remember how when you saved me from those three princes and I told my dad what you did, you mentioned that it was no big deal."

"It wasn't a big deal. They were jerks calling you names. Luckily, when I told their older sister what happened, she put a stop to that." I couldn't really intervene.

"Oh yeah. At least their older sister was nice. Compared to the rest of the family. Where were they from again?"

"I don't remember." I sighed. I remembered what kingdom they were from but I didn't want to tell her. That kingdom's history was too dark.

Sensing that it got quiet, Vivi continued her earlier sentiment, "I wanted to thank you for your plans."

"Don't mention it. Thank me when this is done." There was no need to thank me when my plan hasn't started yet.

She asked, "What do you have planned out? Can we stop the fighting?"

I looked at her and saw how pure she was. I looked into her eyes. They were not like the ones I had just dreamed about. They were so full of innocence. I knew her hidden question. How many lives can we save?

I mentally shook my head. I really didn't know how many lives we could actually save. I had a feeling that Crocodile would make it so the rebel forces will fight the army.

"I believe because of Mr. 2's ability, that he will make the king say something incriminating him of the false crime. This will escalate tensions that will cause the two forces to fight."

I looked at Vivi who put her hands to her face in shock.

I continued. "I will go to Alubarna by myself to protect the king. The king may be kidnapped and replaced with Mr. 2. I'm the only one who can sense whether it's Mr. 2 or not."

"Oh. Take Carue with you. He can take you there the fastest when we land in Nanohana. He can also give my father a letter explaining who is behind Baroque Works."

"Right. In the meantime, you and the rest of the crew will go to Yuba to meet with the rebels. Giving crucial intel to them. After that, you can see if you can incriminate Crocodile at Rainbase or go back to Alubarna."

She gave some thought. "That sounds like a good plan. But are you sure you have to go to Alubarna? What about your left leg?" She looked worried.

I sighed and nodded. They all knew about my left leg because Chopper told them. The entire crew forbade me to fight. When I tried sneaking some training, Carue started quacking and the whole crew came out and saw me.

"I'll be fine. Remember, this war is fought on two fronts. Both the royal army and the rebel forces need to be contained." I couldn't send Princess Vivi by herself to Alubarna. She wasn't strong enough to face the potential enemies ahead. I could enter the castle because Pell and King Cobra would recognize my mask.

Vivi looked scared and hugged me all of a sudden. "Don't die Yuuto."

That was the first time I heard her say my name. It sounded nice to hear from her.

I reciprocated her hug. "I won't. Don't worry."

I was hugging her as a friend. Not as a bodyguard and a princess. But just as a friend.

A very attractive friend but a friend nonetheless.

She stopped hugging me for a big and asked, "Promise me you won't fight."

That was going to be a hard promise to keep. This was a war; it's impossible. I was silent.

"Promise me." She said very sternly as if she was a mother lecturing her child. I mentally laughed.

"Yes mom." I weakly said. I would try for her sake.

She laughed a bit, and continued hugging me. "Good. I don't know what would happen if I lost you too."

Shoot. The way she said the last part. Did she have a crush on me still? Did she love me?

I didn't want to lead her on. You never want to lead a girl on.

After a while, I responded. "Don't worry. I won't die."

She stopped hugging me and started blushing. She looked like she was thinking about something. She was staring at my face.

It made me a little uncomfortable. It reminded me of my dream. Luckily, she said, "I'm going to sleep now. Good night Mr. Fox." She said with a slightly fake smile. There was some disappointment in her voice.

"Good night Princess." I said. I was starting to fear what was she thinking about.

As she left the door, I felt relieved; she wasn't going to see me for at least 2 days after tomorrow.

That could give me time to think. I was going to awkwardly try to avoid her the rest of the trip. I got up to leave the room and head toward my bed.

However, I knew I was not going to sleep easily tonight.

How did I really feel about Nefertari Vivi?

* * *

AN:

[1] This was done on purpose back in the previous chapter I had written. I intended that she had forgotten what she had heard about Mr. 2 back then.

[2] I'm the type that there needs to be actual development between both sides leading to a kiss.

I have already decided whether my OC would end up with Vivi or not. I think the answer will be revealed in about 6 chapters.

The story will still focus on adventure and friendship, but some romance will be involved. This was a short chapter, but it is meant to set up the future events.

Please leave a review telling me something you liked or disliked in this chapter. I would like some constructive feedback. I will take your suggestions seriously if I feel they are convincing. I do have a plan with the story.


	9. Chapter 9 Departure for Alubarana

Disclaimer: Nope. I did not suddenly start owning One Piece.

* * *

Departure for Alubarana

 **Yuuto POV**

We had arrived at Nanohana. I was ready to leave. I had my backpack with the stuff I was going to need for this trip.

I gave a sigh. This was going to be hard especially what I thought about last night.

Let's take care of Crocodile first and then be certain about how I feel.

I went to the deck and saw the entire crew except Zoro. I laughed. He was probably sleeping.

I waved hi to everyone, pretending everything was normal. Vivi also waved back. When we made eye contact, she broke it and quickly looked away.

I should not be trying to make eye contact with her.

Soon, Zoro came up. We got around in a circle.

Luffy took out his left arm and started speaking. "Whatever happens now. This left arm is proof of our friendship." We all put our left arms out facing each other.

It was kind of cheesy, but it did feel good.

"Now. Let's get to dry land! To a restaurant! And then Alabasta!"

Vivi and I laughed at that. Nami, however, yelled, "Shut up you idiot!"

As we got out the ship to restock, I told them that I would go buy some supplies before I left the crew temporarily. I went with Usopp and Chopper because they were going to buy materials.

As we walked, I told them, "We need a way to communicate to each other in case we get separated. So I was thinking of getting something like Den Den mushis." I had something in mind.

Usopp nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

Chopper continued walking. He was starting to look uncomfortable in the heat. He did hear what I said though.

"Keep an eye out for some Den Den mushis. We need at least a couple."

"Why? Chopper asked.

"After this, we might have more crew mates." I said.

"That's good Yuuto, but remember that Den Den mushis are expensive. Nami didn't give us enough money for even 2 Den Den mushis." Usopp said.

I laughed, realizing Nami's greedy tendencies and insane interest rates. "I'll pay for it. Baby den den mushis are a little cheaper too. I still have some money from my bodyguard missions."

"Oh right. How much money you got?" Usopp asked.

I smirked. "I have enough for 3 baby Den Den mushis right now. I do need to go to a bank to get more money. You guys go on ahead. I'll pay for the Den Den mushis."

Usopp looked impressed while Chopper seemed a little confused.

The fact that I had a bank account in this world meant that I was rich. Only the top 15% of the richest people in the world actually had bank accounts.

My former employers paid me well for the missions I did. However, the money they paid wasn't under my real name. It was under an alias.

That turned out to work out really well now that I was a pirate. I just need to make sure that my face does not get a bounty. Otherwise, I'd have to use my disguise kit.

I told Usopp. "Don't tell Nami."

Usopp gulped realizing that Nami would aske me about it. Chopper was confused but carried on.

* * *

 **20 minutes later**

We had met up with Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Vivi. I handed out 4 baby Den Den mushis to them. They looked impressed.

Nami asked, "How did you get the money for this?"

I smirked. "I used up all the money I had on me." I lied slightly.

Usopp gave me a quick look. I looked at him and he understood. He thought I lied so Nami wouldn't know about it.

Nami then asked, "Well. I could let you borrow some next time. At 300% interest rate."

I politely refused. Nami was an extortionist.

"Anyways. This should be useful if we need to maintain contact with each other. In case, we're separated."

Zoro and Sanji nodded, agreeing with it.

I had a feeling I was going to call Zoro a lot. Just to find him.

Vivi pointed out, "If only we could have given one to Luffy before all this happened."

As she said that, we heard marines chasing someone. I gave a sigh. This cannot be a coincidence.

Sanji took out a lighter and said "I'm gonna bet that's Luffy." I couldn't help but nod. I used my observation Haki and confirmed that Luffy was being chased.

Luffy unfortunately saw Zoro. "Hey Zoro!"

Zoro cursed. Luffy started running toward us.

I motioned that we need to move before more marines could chase us. I saw a familiar smoke trying to catch Luffy but was stopped by fire.

Luffy had caught up to us. He cried out, "Ace?"

The stranger who caused the fire smirked at Luffy and said "You haven't changed a bit Luffy."

He had Whitebeard's tatoo on his back.

That was Portgas D. Ace. Whitebeard's Second Commander known as the Firefist.

Is he friend or foe? How does Luffy know him? Why is he here?

Ace said, "Go on ahead. I'll catch up to you guys later." I guess he's helping us.

Luffy nodded and ordered us to go back to the ship.

We started running. After five minutes, Luffy said, "Man! I never though I'd meet Ace here."

Everyone looked at him but didn't want to ask. I decided to ask. "How do you know him Luffy?"

"Do you know who he is Yuuto?" asked Nami.

"I just know Firefist Ace as Whitebeard's second commander from the bounties." I said. I heard a couple gulps when I said that.

"Oy Luffy. Is he friend or foe?" Usopp asked.

"He's my brother." Luffy said.

We all breathed in relief. What is up with this family? Monkey D. Garp as a grandpa. Portgas D. Ace as a brother.

Wait they have different last names. That raised some questions but I didn't want to ask.

As we got on the ship, Luffy talked about him. He mentioned how he never beat Ace when he was young. He also mentioned that Ace didn't eat the devil fruit back then.

How strong is his family?

"Not even once? Against a regular human?" Nami asked.

"The monster's brother must be one hell of a monster." Usopp stated.

"I always got my butt kicked. But now, I'm sure I could beat him now." Luffy boasted.

"Just who..." someone landed on the ship. "can you beat?"

Luffy fell down comically. I used my observation Haki to tell how strong he was. Yeah, we would lose in a fight.

He looked at me. "Oh. You have someone who can use observation Haki. That's rare."

I bowed slightly. "I'm Kaiya Yuuto. I'm the bodyguard." My observation Haki needed work. I needed to be able to do this discretely and unconsciously. I can't always have to focus to use it. It should come like second nature.

He looked at me as if analyzing me. I didn't flinch. "I see. Thank you and everyone for taking care of my brother." He bowed to all of us as he said that.

Nami and Usopp were surprised by his manners. The entire crew bowed back.

Sanji offered, "Why don't you come inside if you want to talk? I'll make some tea." He took out a cigarette and lighter.

Before Sanji lit it up, Ace lit up the cigarette and said, "Oh no don't worry about me. This will take a minute."

I walked inside the deck, feeling the need to give them some privacy. I needed to get ready to leave for Alubarna anyway.

As I walked out, it seemed they finished their conversation. Ace gave Luffy a piece of paper.

A vivre card.

"Keep that with you." Ace ordered. "That paper will let us meet again."

"Wow." Luffy said. "It's a magic paper that can do that?" I guess I'll explain it to him later.

Ace chuckled at that. He then looked at the entire crew and said, "Having a dumb little brother makes an older brother worry." We all smiled at that. "He probably gives you guys lots of trouble too."

I chuckled at that. Ace definitely got in trouble because of Luffy as kids growing up. I wish I could hear some of those stories. Maybe later.

"Take care of him for me." He then jumped off the Going Merry. We ran over to the edge and watched him land on a small boat.

Luffy didn't want him to go so soon. "You're leaving already. But Ace, we just ..."

"I know. I'm chasing a criminal now. He goes by Blackbeard now. He used to be under my division. He killed a crewmate. It's my responsibility to finish him off." Ace said angrily.

To kill a fellow comrade was despicable. I couldn't help but be angry at that. Maybe, I'll pay more attention to the news about this "Blackbeard".

"The next time we meet, will be at pirate's summit." He then left as he said that.

Everyone else was in shock about Luffy's brother. Ace was not like Luffy at all.

"How could someone that responsible be Luffy's brother?" Nami asked.

"I was sure he would be as irresponsible as Luffy" Usopp said.

"What a great guy. Cares about his brother." Zoro said surprised.

Sanji said, "The sea's a mysterious place."

"Brotherhood is wonderful." Chopper said with tears in his eyes.

Vivi held out her hand out as if to say Luffy really wasn't that irresponsible.

Luffy was that bad. If he didn't have us, he'd be utterly hopeless.

Yet, here we are helping him. I approached Luffy, put my hand over his shoulder and pulled him close.

"Luffy, after all this is over. How about you tell us stories about you and your brother? He seems like a great guy."

Luffy smiled at me and the rest of the crew. The rest of the crew was alo interested. "Shishishishi. That sounds great. I can't wait to tell you about the times when we lived with the mountain bandits and fought with the animals in the forest."

Mountain bandits? I guess that's why Luffy was rude.

* * *

I walked toward Carue. "I need to get going. I'm going to go to Alubarna. I can help protect the king and tell the situation to them." I just needed to make sure that I always used my observation Haki.

The crew nodded. They had known about the plan. I didn't want to separate from the crew, but I had to.

I looked at Vivi who was looking at me very intently as I said that.

As we left the ship again, Luffy and Vivi were the ones who to properly send us off. Everyone else just stayed on the ship, getting ready to sail for Yuba.

Vivi handed Carue a letter. "Make sure this letter gets to my father. It reveals Crocodile's plan. Yuuto will help explain things." She looked at me very seriously. I nodded.

I was about to hand Luffy a baby Den Den mushi. However, I realized that he'd lose it. "I will call one of the crew members or Vivi if I find anything new. Luffy, remember, we're not going to fight Crocodile immediately."

"I know." He pouted. I understood that he wanted to fight Crocodile. I told him that I don't think we could win even if we both fought him at the same time.

Still, looking at Luffy, I could tell that he was thinking about fighting Crocodile.

Be careful Luffy. Crocodile's not like any other opponent you've faced before.

I got ready to saddle myself on Carue but Vivi hugged me from behind, stopping me.

"Remember our promise. Mr. Fox. Don't die." she whispered. I sweated. She released me, and I turned to her and nodded.

I really didn't know how to answer her. I could feel Sanji's anger toward me. It was heating up. Luckily, Nami whacked him in the head.

I got on Carue. Vivi exclaimed, "Now go. Tell my father that we will save this country."

I waved my hands to everyone. "Good-bye everyone. I'll see you guys soon. Be careful and remember the notes I wrote." Everyone bid me farewell. I put on my mask and Carue started running.

* * *

One Day later

17 Hours Before Operation Utopia

We had just arrived at outside the palace of Alubarna. I got off Carue, thanking him for a job well done. I handed Carue the letter and was waiting outside to be permitted in.

I told the guard that I had met the king and Pell before and they would recognize who I am with my mask.

Carue had gotten inside with a guard escorting him.

I saw the guard looking at me suspiciously. I thought that was normal until I saw him scratch himself, revealing a tattoo on his arm.

His tattoo said Baroque Works.

I cursed inwardly. Great, Crocodile has spies inside the royal army. He probably also has spies inside the rebel army. He really wanted this war to happen.

Thankfully, I had my mask on, so he couldn't see my facial expressions.

After waiting, I saw Pell walk across. I waved. He didn't change much. He recognized me. "Black Fox!"

I chuckled a little. I haven't been called that for a while. "It's good to see you."

"Right. I'm so happy that Vivi found you. I'm sure with your help you can help us save this country."

"You're right about that." I approached the guard and quickly knocked him out.

Pell was shocked and was preparing to fight. Other guards came over seeing that. "What was that for?"

"He's a spy for the enemy." I revealed his arm showing his tattoo.

Pell nodded recognizing the name. "I can't believe we missed that."

"He might not be the only one. Ask your other guards to show their arms." I dragged the fake guard.

Pell motioned to them. The other guards that had followed revealed their arms. Good, no one had a similar tattoo. I gave them the fake guard.

Pell ordered "Take him to the jail we have. We will worry about the impostors later." He looked at me and smiled, "Like I said, with your help, you can help us save this country. You just helped us a lot."

"Any time, old friend."

He led me to the throne where I saw King Cobra. He had more wrinkles than I last saw him. His hair was still black.

I bowed. "Your Highness."

Cobra puts his hands. "Remember Fox, you don't have to do that. You're a friend."

"Still. I know my place. I wish I could have come at a better time." I stood up.

He smiled at me. I saw the same man who I had the pleasure of protecting six years ago.

"You haven't changed a bit. Other than you becoming a pirate." He said the last part disapprovingly.

"I consider myself more of an adventurer than a pirate." I cheekily replied back. Luffy was more of an adventurer than a pirate. He never harmed the innocent like most pirates did.

"Right, well meet Chaka. He wasn't at Reverie. He was watching over the kingdom back then. He is someone I trust as much as I did with Pell and Igaram."

I saw a tall man with a more muscular build than Pell. He did seem strong. He nodded, acknowledging me. I nodded back at him.

"Anyways." The king continued. "Do you have anything else we need to know?"

Pell interrupted, "We have possible spies. Black Fox identified one standing watch at the gate. He had a tattoo saying Baroque Works."

Chaka spoke, "We shall find all the spies out at once. We will then punish them as we see fit."

I nodded. I could also see if my Observation Haki could tell who would be nervous if we all inspected them.

King Cobra. "You've only been here for such a short time, and you already helped out so much."

"No need to thank me. I will tell you what I know. I also have Den-Den mushi to contact my crew and Vivi."

King Cobra spoke out. "Can you call right now? I want to hear my daughter's voice."

Even though he was a king, he was a father first. He was a great man who didn't deserve this false scandal.

"Of course." I nodded.

I called Vivi. She picked up. "Hello. Mr. Fox?" She said the last part very nervously.

I had forgotten about her potential feelings about me. My ride with Carue didn't really give me time to think about them. I responded. "Yes. It's me. I just met up with your father."

He ran over hearing part of the conversation. "Vivi. Are you ok? Are those pirates treating you right?"

I need to be clear with Vivi.

I heard a couple tears. "Yes. They have treated me very well. Mr. Fox has done a great job protecting me."

He smiled the last part knowingly. Shoot. I forgot how protective he was of her. I didn't want to deal with a protective father.

I'm gonna die. I'm either going to die because of this war or because of her father.

I think Crocodile killing me was going to be less painful than her father killing me.

She was definitely attractive, but I don't want to love someone just for physical appearance.

She was kind and caring; I really did like that about her. However, my whole crew was like that too.

Well, maybe except Zoro. He was emotionless sometimes.

Why are feelings so complicated?

"Where are you now?" Those words interrupted my thoughts.

"We're heading to Rainbase now. We are about 16 hours away. We couldn't grab a hold of the rebellion forces. Luffy wants to beat up Crocodile."

I sighed. I wasn't surprised by that. I think everyone in the crew wanted to beat up Crocodile. However, Vivi was the one we were helping; she wanted this done with no violence. I just hoped that Luffy will live.

I wanted to argue but knowing my captain, he was stubborn.

He'll just have to learn it the hard way. He's escaped death before. He can probably do it again.

I remembered something, "Tell Vivi that we have some BW spies in the royal army. There could be some in the rebel forces."

The king nodded. "I'm going to send Pell over to Rainbase to help you."

Pell nodded and began to get ready for his journey. I walked over to him to describe my crew.

"It's good to hear your voice again Vivi. I'm so proud of you. You became a strong woman." Cobra was proud.

"Thanks... Father."

I walked over to the den den mushi to talk. "Hey. I have a feeling that they're going to attack us soon. Stay safe."

"You too Mr. Fox. Don't die." I could hear that tone again.

"I won't. Good-bye." I needed to rush.

"Bye."

We hung up. I looked at the king. He motioned me to come forward. I came up. "Chaka go see if we have any spies in our army. I need to talk with Black Fox privately."

Chaka nodded and walked out.

"Now. What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" He said threateningly. He seemed to have found a sword.

I gulped. I was not ready for this conversation.

* * *

Operation Utopia starts

The next day

I had woken up and used my observation Haki just to check. After the events of what happened last night, I had stopped the king from being kidnapped. However, we didn't even see the kidnappers.

The kidnappers had tried to dig their way underground to the king's chambers. Luckily, I could sense them with my Haki.

I told the guards to go inside the king's chamber and to wake up the king. They didn't want to believe me, but I told them what would happen if the king actually was kidnapped.

Soon enough, we heard some digging sounds, but then they stopped. I heard faint murmurs and they decided to run away. I think they heard us.

At least the king didn't get kidnapped.

Imagine our surprise, when we heard that the king had attacked everyone at Nanohana and destroyed the city. Luckily, we had the king here. When he appeared in Alubarna, everyone was confused. How could the king be at two places at once?

I cursed remembering Mr. 2. At least I predicted it correctly.

The whole royal army and the citizens saw the king when he appeared at 10 AM. It was impossible for the king to travel to Nanohana and back in under 8 hours.

However, we heard the reports that other cities were not willing to believe the king any more. The tensions had escalated into the rebels attacking us.

The royal army wanted to fight back, realizing the king was framed. The citizens of Alubarna also couldn't help but cry, realizing that something was amiss in the country.

I was tempted to expose Crocodile right then, but I needed actual proof revealing him. What I had sounded like a theory. I needed an actual confession.

With the attack coming in 8 hours, the king ordered us not to fight unless we needed to defend ourselves. We would help evacuate the civilians in the meantime. We would raise a white flag on top of the city, showing that we did not plan on attacking. We had already removed all the spies in the royal army.

I warned Chaka and the king that the rebel forces will also have spies, trying to cause us to fight. The king nodded. No matter what, we would only defend ourselves.

We all knew that the only way for us to stop fighting was Vivi. She could persuade the rebel forces to stop fighting us.

We waited preparing ourselves what was about to come.

* * *

AN: That's it about Yuuto's side. Next chapter is about the what Strawhats during the time. I wrote some character development in the next chapter.

I hoped you guys like the part with Ace, Luffy, and the crew.

Please leave a review about what you liked or disliked. It's encouraging that way.


	10. Chapter 10 Strawhats at Rainbase

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece.

One Piece belongs to Oda.

I only offer my slight variation/interpretation of the story.

* * *

Strawhats at Rainbase

19 Hours Before Operation Utopia

 **Vivi POV**

We had just come from Yuba. The rebels weren't there already gone to another place. I felt the hopes of my country dwindle a little bit. Thankfully, the Strawhat crew and I were ready to go to the rebellion.

However, I heard certain words from the captain.

"I quit."

Those words coming from Luffy shcoked me.

"What do you mean, Luffy?" I asked. Maybe I heard wrong.

"We don't have time for your stupid games now, Luffy. Now get up." Nami called Luffy out.

"We're going back." Luffy said simply.

Sanji tried to reason. "We're using the road we took yesterday to stop the rebellion. If a million of the civilians clash, it's all over. This is for Vivi-chan! Let's go!"

"Boring." He said plainly.

I was so confused.

Luffy looked at me. "Vivi. I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile. I don't care what Yuuto says."

We were all surprised by this statement. He continued, "If we stop the guys who are rebelling, will we stop Crocodile? We can't even do anything even if we go to this place. We're pirates. You're better off without us."

I froze a little. Yuuto had a plan on how to stop Crocodile that didn't involve fighting him directly.

However, Yuuto wasn't sure if he could stop my people from fightig each other.

I looked at my friends. They agreed with what he had said. I tried to reason. "Well..."

He cut me off. "You just don't want anyone to die in this war. You're talking about fighting a Shichibukai. And all you want is no one to die. That's naive."

Nami tried to defend me. "Stop. Luffy! Can't you think of Vivi's feelings?"

"Wait Nami-san!" Sanji intervened.

This was between me and Luffy. "What's wrong with that? What's wrong with not wanting people to die?" I don't want any of us to die.

Luffy said coldly, "People die."

I couldn't help but slap him. No one should die without a reason. I started shouting. "Stop talking like that!" I took a deep breath. What he said had hurt. "Don't you dare say that again! That's what we're trying to stop."

"You can't blame the rebels or the army for this. This is all Crocodile's fault!" I continued shouting.

Suprisingly, Luffy punched me. "Then why are you risking your life?" I couldn't help but say that it was my country.

Usopp defended me "That's going too far Luffy."

I quickly tackled him and punched him repeatedly. Luffy didn't fight against me and laid on the ground. He continued "Even I can tell what this country needs the most just by looking at the situation." Those words hurt a little bit.

"What?" I hollered.

"You think risking one life is enough!" He shouted at me. He then grabbed my hands stopping me from attacking him.

I was confused. "What am I supposed to risk? There's nothing else I have to..."

Luffy then got out of my holding position. "Why don't you try risking our lives too? I thought we were friends." Luffy interrupted with honest eyes.

I couldn't help but start crying at that. I had found a pirate crew... no friends, who were willing to die for the sake of my goal.

It was touching. Before I had a burden all by myself, but now. I have friends who wanted to share this burden.

"Look at you." He started speaking softly. "You're crying. You're the one who wants to kill him the most. Tell me where Crocodile is."

At that moment, I disregarded Yuuto' warning about engaging in Crocodile.

I nodded and led them along the way. [1]

* * *

17 Hours Before Operation Utopia

 **Vivi POV**

As we were making our way, we had received a call. It must have been Yuuto.

I hope he made it to Alubarna.

I picked up the phone. "Hello. Mr. Fox?" I hoped I sounded ok.

I heard his voice. "Yes. It's me. I just met up with your father."

I was glad to hear that. Soon enough, I heard some footsteps and then my father's voice. "Vivi. Are you ok? Are those pirates treating you right?"

I could help but cry. It's been so long since I heard my father's voice. I couldn't help but smile hearing his voice that conveyed his love and protectiveness over me.

I responded. "Yes. They have treated me very well. Mr. Fox has done a great job protecting me."

I let out a small giggle.

My father then asked. "Where are you now?"

I answered. "We're heading to Rainbase now. We are about 16 hours away. We couldn't grab a hold of the rebellion forces. Luffy wants to beat up Crocodile."

I heard Yuuto's voice. "Tell Vivi that we had some BW spies in the royal army. There could be some in the rebel forces." It seemed that he knew that he couldn't stop us from fighting Crocodile.

I sighed. It seemed that Crocodile was going to cause a war no matter what.

My father continued. "I'm going to send Pell over now to help you."

That's great. Pell can help a lot, and he can travel the fastest.

"It's good to hear your voice again Vivi. I'm so proud of you. You became a strong woman." I heard my father compliment me.

"Thanks... Father." I couldn't help but blush at that.

Then I heard Yuuto's voice again. "I have a feeling that they're going to attack us soon. Stay safe." I smiled knowing that he was worried about me.

"You too Mr. Fox. Don't die." I couldn't help but tell him to be careful. He couldn't fight well if he had that leg injury.

"I won't. Good-bye." He said that part suddenly. He was probably busy planning for the next part.

"Bye." I said a little sadly.

We hung up. Nami gave me a knowing smirk, but the other guys didn't seem to notice. I blushed at that and turned away.

Luffy cried out, "Let's hurry up and get ready to kick Crocodile's ass."

I chuckled at that. We were only about 16 hours away from the Rainbase. He was excited.

* * *

1 Hour before Operation Utopia

Rainbase Casino

 **Nami POV**

I can't believe this. I'm surrounded by idiots.

I let Luffy and Usopp run ahead in the casino. They decide to run ahead to the VIP room where we were told that Crocodile was waiting for us.

As if that sounded like a terrific idea to begin with.

Next, they decide to go in the direction where the sign said, "Pirates." with an arrow pointing left.

Not suspicious at all guys. It's definitely safe.

As we ran in that direction, the floor collapsed, and we were stuck in a seastone cage.

I was currently stuck with Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and the marine who was chasing after us. I couldn't help but sigh knowing that the marine was probably the smartest one in the cage.

Well smartest guy. There's me of course.

At times, like these, I wish Yuuto was with us. At least, he was both smart and strong. He also helped play peacemaker.

The other guys in the crew were just very strong and no smarts.

Well actually Usopp wasn't strong. He wasn't very smart either. Maybe clever.

Sigh.

I looked at Luffy. He was thinking.

Could it be? He was actually thinking of a way to escape. I actually had that covered. As long as no one was here.

He spoke. "Sanji impression." He put his fingers close to his mouth as if he was smoking. "Hey, did you eat all the meat?"

I whacked both Luffy and Usopp. Usopp for laughing at that.

"Be serious. How can you act like that?" Am I the only one who actually has a plan to escape?

I looked at Zoro. "And why are you sleeping?" I kicked him.

"What, is it morning?" He said groggily.

"It's been morning already." I yelled.

Well maybe Sanji and Chopper will save us. Yuuto was highly unlikely because he was far away.

Crocodile looked at me and taunted "You're quite a feisty girl."

I was angry. "What. Once these guys get out of this cage, they'll knock your worthless hide above the clouds. Right Luffy!" I couldn't help but taunt back and rely on Luffy.

Crocodile provoked me even further. "You are a captain with great trust placed in you Luffy. Trust -" He chuckled. "Trust is the most useless thing in the world."

"How dare he make fun of us?" I yelled. What's wrong with trusting in your captain?

"Crocodile!" I heard a yell. It sounded like Vivi. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Welcome Vivi, princess of Alabasta. Or should I say Miss Wednesday? I'm surprised you made it." There was that taunt again.

"Of course. I'd come. As long as it means I can watch you die. Mr. 0."

"It's your worthless country that's going to die Miss Wedensday."

I look at Vivi. She was uncharacteristically angry. She yelled and ran, "If you weren't here, Alabasta would be in peace." She got her peacock slashers and hit him straight in the face.

I was about to smile, but I saw sand. I cursed.

Yuuto had warned us about his Suna Suna devil fruit.

His whole body turned to sand, and he appeared behind Vivi. He grabbed her, "Shall I turn you into a mummy?"

Luffy cried out, "Let go of Vivi!"

I was tempted. Maybe I should have tried to escape now and pick the lock.

He put her down.

The opportunity was gone with Crocodile watching us. "Sit. It's time to begin the plan."

As he began his monologue, I considered whether Luffy could actually win. No wonder Yuuto kept reminding Luffy not to fight with Crocodile. I looked worriedly at Luffy.

At the same time, I couldn't help but remember of my past. I thought Arlong was invincible too.

Yuuto didn't really know, but Luffy did get stronger when he was fighting to protect someone.

I know Luffy well enough that he was fighting to protect Vivi, but I didn't want to put everyone in risk.

I sighed.

As I saw Crocodile drop the key to the sea below, I smiled. Who needs a key when you could pick the lock?

I thank Yuuto for teaching me that. He really does come prepared. Now I just have to wait for Crocodile to leave.

I zoned out planning the entire situation. However, he said something that caught my attention.

"What a stupid old geezer. He keeps digging an oasis that died before." Could he be talking about the old man we met back at Yuba? "And he thinks he can overcome the sandstorms over and over."

Don't tell me...

"Do you think sandstorms could attack a town successfully so many time?"

He then showed his power. He was causing a sandsorm.

He really was despicable.

I looked at Luffy and Vivi. They both liked him so much.

That was when I knew that Crocodile was going down no matter what. Luffy always finds a way to beat them up good.

Crocodile and his partner went up the stairs and the room began filling up with water.

I moved closer to the lock before I heard a den den mushi ring.

Please, not one of ours.

Thankfully, it was Crocodile's.

"Hello. I've never used one of these before."

That was Sanji's voice.

"Hey. Spit it out."

"Oh that voice. I've heard it before. This is the shitty restaurant."

I smiled. Sanji was going to come save us assuming I couldn't pick this lock.

It felt good to have a backup plan.

I saw Luffy about to blurt something out and I quickly covered his mouth.

Why is it that I'm always the one who has to stop Luffy from blurting important information?

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me? I am Mr. Prince."

As the banter continue, I heard Crocodile get more and more irritated. I then heard gunshot from the den den mushi.

I couldn't believe that Sanji would get caught so carelessly.

Crocodile and his partner walked out that we couldn't hear them anymore.

Vivi was about to go up the stairs. I quickly went to work with the lock. I grabbed the pins I had hidden and started.

Usopp looked at me exasperated and said, "We could have escaped this entire time."

I shook my head. "Do you really think it was good for us to escape earlier? In front of them?"

Zoro grunted showing that he agreed with me.

It was taking a while and I saw Vivi go up the stairs. Unfortunately, one of the bananadiles had crashed into the room letting more water in.

I needed to hurry.

Luckily, after 5 minutes, I unlocked the door, and we quickly ran out.

Luffy, Zoro, and the marine made quick work of the bananadiles. It seemed that one of them spit out someone, but he was still unconscious. It looked like Mr. 3, so we ignored him. We then saw Sanji and Vivi come running in.

They were surprised.

"I picked the lock. Hurry let's get out of her before they came back."

Sanji yelled, "So smart Nami – swan."

Now wasn't the time. He would praise any woman for whatever reason. Whether it's because they simply existed or because they showed him their boobs.

If Sanji is actually serious about wanting to be in a relationship with me, he needs to stop doing that.

Usopp and Luffy also praised me too. At least, those two's praises were genuine because I rarely got praised by them. We quickly ran out but the walls cracked. More water filled the room, and we had to swim our way out. Zoro and Sanji both had to carry the devil fruit users along.

We were all safe outside.

Twenty minutes later

As we met up with Chopper along with his new moving crab friend, we quickly needed to make our way to Alubarna. However just as Vivi was about to get on, Crocodile stopped her with his hook.

Luffy quickly grabbed onto Vivi and swapped places.

"You guys go ahead. I'll be fine by myself."

Me and Zoro nodded. We had been with him the longest, so we knew what he could do.

I could only hope that he would be careful.

Zoro commanded Chopper, "Head straight to Alubarna." That was one of the few times I felt that he acted as a first mate.

As Vivi was about to call after Luffy, I put a hand over her. I smiled to reassure her. "It's ok. He'll be fine. There isn't a single person who tried to fight Luffy and won."

I knew Luffy could beat him. Luffy will always find a way to win.

Like how he beat Arlong.

As we got farther away, I looked back and saw him and Crocodile as a speck of dust.

I sighed a little anxiously. I hope Luffy doesn't almost die.

I shook my head. He'll win. He always does.

I then took out the Den Den mushi and called Yuuto. He needed to know what was going on. [2]

* * *

0.5 Hour After Operation Utopia

 **Luffy POV**

"I think your games have gone long enough 'Straw Hat'."

Crocodile had stood opposite of me.

I was pissed. How could he destroy the old man's dream?

More importantly, how dare he make my nakama cry? [3]

I sat up. "You know her. She's so weak, but she tries to save everything she can." I paused.

"She can't bear to abandon anything. So she's always in pain. She wants to end this rebellion without anyone dying."

"Without anyone dying, that's foolish." He looked at me. "You agree with me. Don't you?"

"Yes." I stood up, ready to fight. "But as long as you're alive, she will fight. That's why I'm stopping you."

"Haha. You're funny. This should be a good example. I've left hundred like that in the dust."

"Well then, I guess that makes you stupid then." I said plainly at him.

I heard the woman next to him laugh. I wasn't sure what was so funny. I was just saying what I thought.

"What's so funny. Nico Robin? Do you want to die as well?"

To threaten your own partner makes me angry too.

The woman just put her hands out, said a few words that I couldn't hear, and left.

I then saw an hourglass.

"I'll give you three minutes. After that, I won't have the time to play around anymore." He said.

I nodded. I then began punching him but hit sand.

I was trying to remember what Yuuto said about armament Haki. My will? Using my will to fight?

I needed to unlock armament Haki now.

Focus.

Crocodile came closer. I tried kicking him while trying to focus on hitting him.

Crocodile just looked at me and began speaking. "Let me tell you one thing, 'Straw-hat'. " I would use this time to think. "No matter how much you struggle, you will never …. ever..."

I tried punching multiple times again. This time, I focused on beating the sand.

He continued again. "Listen... 'Straw hat'. Those mosquito attacks are useless against me, because you will never."

I got close to him and tried to use my bazooka attack on him. Maybe if I focused two hands, I could do it.

That didn't work.

In my frustration, I used my axe attack.

This Haki was really annoying. I wasn't getting the observation training that Yuuto told me to do. Now, trying this armament didn't seem to work.

I screamed in frustration.

This sand guy was supposed to be my Haki training dummy. I had been hit by Nami way too many times. It was someone else's turn to be hit.

I couldn't hit Yuuto by myself when he was blindfolded.

"No matter what." He kept talking. I turned around and punched his face. "Deff"

"Deff..." I was confused. What does deff mean? Can you eat that? "What the hell have you been trying to say?" I shot out.

His eyes narrowed at me. "Why don't we end the games now?"

We haven't been playing any games. I've been trying to beat you up.

How dare he mock me when I've been trying to hit him.

I haven't been fooling around. [4]

He then sent some sand out to me. I dodged; I could sense there was a lot of power in that attack.

Suddenly, the sand was sinking. I quickly tried to run out.

"If I can't hurt you, then I'll capture you!" I hollered, extending my fingers to create a net.

However, he controlled the sand to push my fingers out.

As I approached him, he struck me and my right arm.

I've never felt pain like this. I looked at my right arm. It looked so small compared to normal. It didn't feel like it had any water.

"It's sand. I sucked the water out." He explained.

That's it. I quickly ran to get my own personal barrel the old sandy guy gave me.

I quickly drank water. That made my arm turn back to normal.

Crocodile kept talking. Annoyed at this, I tried to chomp him like that king Hippo guy who chomped his people.

I then spit him out because he became human.

"Enough of this. Your three minutes are over. Prepare to die." Crocodile looked angry. He put out his hand and summoned some sand tornado.

"If this sandstorm travels south and matures, where do you think hits when it's nice and big?"

I paused. Not knowing what was in the south.

I'm not a local here.

"To Yuba!" He shouted.

Yuba was where we met the old man.

I quickly ran up to him, trying to grab him. I got a hold of his jacket. "What the hell are you doing? This has nothing to do with the old guy." This was just between me and him.

He pushed me aside. As I ran again to him, I was suddenly stopped. I felt blood coming out from my stomach. I put my hands there.

He had pierced me with his hook. "Just who do you think I am? There are plenty of rookies who are all talk here on the Grand Line."

I lifted my hand, covered with blood. I was barely conscious.

I weakly called out, "Water."

Crocodile said, "Even the water will not help you."

I grabbed his hand. He then threw me down.

He called out, "Good-bye."

Just as I was sinking, I realized that I had finally touched him at the last moment.

* * *

AN:

[1] Vivi and Luffy's fight.

I felt I had to write that scene because even though it's the same as it is in the manga. I wanted to write the feelings Vivi had.

[2] I was finally able to write a part of the story in Nami's POV. All that's left is Zoro now.

Even though this sequence isn't originally a Nami moment, I decided to help show how Nami is slowly becoming more useful. I know picking a lock doesn't even come close to how cool with what Sanji did as "Mr. Prince" with Chopper.

Again, I have Yuuto to help develop the Strawhats to be more useful. It's not just Luffy, Zoro, or Sanji beating the main villains in just a fight. There's multiple sides to how the Strawhats can win than just pure combat. Nami doesn't have to be a fighter to be awesome. She can use her skill as a thief or navigator.

I want to write some other awesome moments with the other crew members like Usopp sniping Sugar and Brook stealing the Poneglyph, just to name a few.

[3] Yes, Luffy does consider Vivi as nakama.

Does that mean she will join the crew?

[4] It's meant to be ironic. Consider Crocodile's POV and the first fight if you remember from the anime/manga.

I felt that it would be hard for Luffy to win if he doesn't have armament Haki. He hasn't unlocked it yet. You will see that Luffy does get stronger.

Anyways, next chapter we're going to be jumping ahead to the Strawhats fights at Alubarna.

Feel free to mention story ideas if they're new; it could help with coming up with some elements of the plot. If I don't follow your story idea, it's probably because I don't think it goes well with the story's direction that I have planned out.

I have Skypeia arc finally planned out now. Now I need to start writing it.

There are some key plot points (my idea) that I have planned out and I intend on keeping them. You will probably start seeing those plot points in Water 7 and Sabody. Pay attention next chapter. There will also be some romance involved in the later future.

Again, please leave a review with some constructive criticism. Whether it's about something you liked or something you disliked.


	11. Chapter 11 Fights at Alubarna

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

"normal conversation"

" _remembering a quote from someone else"_

There won't be special dialogue setting for individual thoughts because you are hearing their thoughts in their POV.

* * *

Fights at Alubarna

8 Hours after Operation Utopia

Usopp and Chopper vs. Mr. 4, Ms. Merry Christmas, and Lasso

 **Usopp POV**

I had just run outside the gate where I heard Chopper fighting.

I see that Chopper was in heavy point was panting heavily.

"Chopper." I yelled. "I'm here to help. Who are you fighting?"

"The Mr. 4 pair." He responded. "I'm glad you're ok." After a pause, he continued, "Careful, they're still here."

"That's the strong guy with the mole woman right?"

"You forgot about his dog." Chopper said plainly.

Up popped a hole, we saw a cannonball and we both ran away from each other. It then exploded.

Right. Vivi said that the dog shoots cannonballs.

That wasn't scary at all.

I had considered what to do with the situations. Because I didn't think I could win against these people without the knowledge before hand. I probably would have ran away if I didn't know about their abilities.

How can I run away if I wanted to become a great warrior?

For example, a mole had to dig underground. Therefore that should mean...

"Chopper, the holes have to be connected together." I yelled out.

"Are you sure?" he wondered.

"Well. I'm not 100% sure. But did you notice the mole woman leave her hole?"

Just as I spoke, we saw her.

"It's a mole! There it is!" I screamed in fright.

"I haven't transformed yet!" the mole yelled back.

Oh, so she naturally looked like a mole.

She continued, "Now listen up. You boys aren't getting outta here alive." She slowly began transforming.

Me and Chopper both said, "A penguin?" looking at her flipper.

"I'm a mole" she snarled out.

Oh. That flipper was supposed to be her claws. I don't think moles are supposed to snarl. Honestly, her human form looked more like a mole than her current form.

She dug underground. I began running because I couldn't see her.

The dog popped up in one hole and fired a cannonball. I dodged it.

However, Chopper cried out, "Mr. 4 carries a 4 ton bat to hit those cannonballs."

I looked and saw Mr. 4 ready to bat them toward me. I needed to keep running toward those holes.

I was planning on using explosives in the hole. Hopefully, those explosives could also hurt them as the fire spread. However, the mole woman soon caught me and started dragging me to Mr. 4

Shoot. I was going to get clobbered by Mr.4's bat. I start screaming

Thankfully, Chopper had hit Mr. 4 from behind, so he couldn't hit me in time.

However, the mole woman still dragged me and found a wall to drag me through. She soon let me go after that.

I looked and saw a hole in the wall that looked like me with my arms flailing out.

Great. Just a reminder of how scared I can be. I need to win.

I saw open hole available for me and fired an explosive bullet.

That wasn't enough as Mr. 4 still survived the attack. However, the dog that was underground was unconscious. Mr. 4 came up and hit a cannonball at me.

Why are there these monsters in the Grand Line?

I was starting to be afraid because I had already used what I thought would be the best plan to beat them.

I started running away. That might give me time to think.

That's when I felt my legs getting grabbed again. It must have been that stupid mole.

"Running away? If the captain is this weak, then so are his crew members." she goaded me.

"What about my captain?" She just insulted my captain.

I'm ok being called weak. But to insult Luffy, my best friend, maliciously is a different story.

True, everyone in the crew called Luffy idiot, but we said that lovingly.

Most of the time.

Luffy is not weak. He's strong. That's why he's always been able to beat people like Kuro, Krieg, and Arlong. I know he'll beat Crocodile too.

"Straw Hat Luffy has been killed."

I was in shock. I looked at Chopper; he could only say, "Luffy's dead?" There was a look of dismay on his face.

I shook my head. Luffy is going to be Pirate King. How could I believe such a lie?

"Don't give me that you ugly mole bitch!" I exclaimed. I needed to defend my captain's honor. "I know him!" I yelled out. "He won't die to that stupid gator."

I continued ranting. "He's going to be Pirate King! He won't die in a place like this."

After that statement, I heard a laugh. My eyes narrowed.

Was she mocking my captain's ambition?

I can't run away in this case. I have to defend my captain's honor when he's not here.

I don't care if I don't stand a chance. This is my friend's dream.

She started mocking him. "You don't ever say anything as stupid as that on the Grand Line."

She then started dragging me again.

I whipped out a 8 kg hammer and started whacking her arms. She cried in pain, letting me go. I fell crashing forward to a nearby wall.

"Listen Chopper!" I slowly stood up. "There comes a time when a man has to stand and fight. That time is when his friend's dreams are laughed at." Chopper nodded at me, understanding the situation.

I looked at both Miss Merry Christmas and Mr. 4. I pointed at both of them and declared, "Luffy won't die. I **KNOW** he will become Pirate King. And I can't let you laugh at that."

Chopper then transformed. "Let me show you my horn point."

I ran so I was behind Chopper. I then took out my new slingshot Kabuto. The larger the slingshot, the farther the shots can be. The five supportive stems also made my aim accurate and increased my firing range.

Unfortunately, it was heavy for me to use consistently. I needed to get stronger to get used to carrying it.

Chopper started running and when he saw the mole woman, he tossed her up with his hooves. I then fired my 8 kg hammer at her, knocking her out.

With both the dog and her partner gone, we just had to fight Mr. 4.

Mr. 4 was too slow to catch up to us as I kept firing at him. Chopper then tossed him up underground, and I fired a spicy heat sauce bullet at his mouth. He fainted at that.

I was almost running out of ammo, but I was glad we had won.

I looked at the sky. Luffy. I know you're still alive.

* * *

Sanji Vs. Mr. 2

 **Sanji POV**

My lady in danger sense is tingling. I look around.

There was the beautiful Vivi being chased by some okama.

How horrible it must be to be chased by an okama!

I shudder at the thought of being chased by okamas. It must be a living hell. It gave me goosebumps

Being chased by women on the other hand would be paradise. Maybe after I save Vivi, I would have princesses chasing after me.

Wait! That okama was the Mr. 2 guy who could transform to us. He's a very high priority target.

I hurried my way over, intercepting his kick.

Even though he was an okama, he did have a very strong kick, almost matching me in strength.

"Sanji!" Vivi cried out.

"I'll take on that okama for you." I said. I'll be Vivi's knight in shining armor. Take that Yuuto.

As Mr. 2 got up, I told Vivi, "Go!"

As our kicks collided, I threatened him, "You took my sniper's goggles. Why don't you give them back?" Usopp had mentioned to me when I met with him.

"I won't go down as easily as he did." I declared.

I gritted a little bit in frustration. Come on Usopp, you can last longer than 3 second in a fight.

"You're one of straw hat's friends. You must be the famous Mr. Prince? Or are you that fox?" He asked.

I smirked. I forgot that he didn't see me. To be called that Fox would be lying and I couldn't respond to being Mr. Prince.

I abandoned that lifestyle a long time ago.

"No. My name is Sanji! I'm a first rate cook of the sea."

He smiled and tried to suddenly kick me. My kick met his kick.

So far, we had been parrying each other's attacks with our kicks. It seemed that it was going to be a test of stamina or a test of who had an unpredictable move.

I smirked. I remembered seeing a move from Yuuto's training book.

I faked a punch, moving in a circle; the okama dodged as I expected. However, I continued going in the circle and kicked as I completed the circle and hit him.

I scored the first hit.

There was no way I was going to actually punch the guy. My hands were made to cook.

I only kicked his gut but that should make him feel a little queasy.

He then shouted something about his okama kenpo and started jabbing me.

I dodged them. When I thought he finished, I sent out a barrage of kicks. He met every kick.

I decided to risk my body and take his next blow for my mutton shot. I flew back a bit. I noticed that he coughed out blood.

If it continued, I would win, and I'd be ok to continue fighting someone else. It was a good thing that I started training more. If I didn't, I would have been in bad shape after this fight.

Mr. 2 then spouted out some nonsense and claimed that he could form the world's funniest head.

When I saw his face, it was just his face with Usopp's nose.

I then kicked him again.

He was a resilient bastard. I'll give him that.

"Are you done?" I asked him.

Mr. 2 then said, "I'm going to use your friend's face."

I scoffed. "As if that would work."

He became Usopp and I kicked him.

Usopp deserved that kick for stealing food back on the ship.

"Damn you! That is your friend's face!"

I sneered at that. "Yeah, but it's still you! People are made of heart!" As if I could be fooled by such an obvious trick.

Mr. 2's eyes widened and quickly transformed to Nami.

I heard Nami's angelic voice. "I understand. Not even her nor the rest of your friends will have any effect on you."

I wanted to say no, but I looked at him and couldn't help but have hearts in my eyes. He did look and sound like her. I quickly shook my head and he became normal.

He stared at me, and I tried to have a poker face on. There was no way he saw my reaction.

He became Nami again, and I drooled.

I heard Nami's voice. "You fool!"

Damn it. I was going to win so easily too.

He then began his assault. My reaction was slower in blocking those attacks because of Nami's beauty.

As he kicked me to the ground, he boasted. "You're not as strong as you say you are."

I was angry. No matter what you look on the outside you're still an okama. He's a guy not a girl.

Just as I was about to kick him, I looked and saw Nami's gorgeous face.

I couldn't kick Nami, so I hesitated.

He then taunted me, "This country is way too hot! So I'll just take off my clothes." He revealed part of Nami's chest.

"Want my help?" I couldn't help but ask.

From what I saw, the chest he had was the same size as the real one.

Mr. 2 attacked me. However, in that moment, he reverted back to his original self.

I was able to dodge his attack and tried to kick him.

Just as I was able to land a kick, he changed back.

Damn him! I held my leg back. I refuse to kick anyone who is a woman!

His ability really does make him become a woman.

My real dad would be disappointed in me if I kicked a woman.

However, I noticed he always put his hand to his cheek just to change back. I just needed to observe which hand it was.

He then kicked with his foot with the beak. I dodged and saw it kick through a wall.

That kick was powerful. I couldn't catch many of those. I might need to fight more people.

I ran to him. He had changed back to Nami in preparation of my attack. I called out, "Hey, something's on your left cheek?" I took a guess.

Luckily, he fell for it. I grinned and kicked.

 **Collier!**

He laid on the ground, tired. "I lost!" He wasn't bleeding anywhere visibly.

For a weird guy, he did have some honor.

I looked at him. "If you want to kill me, just do it. My life will be ended by the organization later anyway."

I looked at him and held out my hand.

This was a sign of respect. He wasn't that bad.

"That was a good fight."

He stood up and started crying. I heard something about friendship.

Still, I took back Usopp's goggles and left Mr. 2 with a broken jaw with blood coming out of his mouth.

He had it coming to him for wanting to hurt Vivi.

* * *

Nami vs. Ms. Doublefinger

 **Nami POV**

I had just separated myself from Zoro, Mr. 1, and Ms. Doublefinger.

I was really nervous because this would be my first actual fight.

Yuuto and Luffy have been helping me train physically. Usopp had created a staff that could help me manipulate the weather.

When I first tried the staff out, Usopp had put some cheap parlor tricks in there. However, Yuuto made Usopp remove them because he didn't want me to make the wrong move just because I mixed up the combination.

Looking back on it, Yuuto was right. I could die right now because I messed up the moves.

Unfortunately, this staff was limited in capabilities, but it did what I needed it to do.

I heard footsteps and began blowing cool balls.

I was going to be defensive first. Soon enough, Ms. Doublefinger came and tried to stab me.

She hit the mirage tempo that I had formed with the cold air. I quickly hit her with the blunt end of my staff. I then quickly ran away to get some more distance.

I couldn't fight so close against her seeing her power.

"So you can fight." She was mocking me.

I smirked. "These 8 years, I've been a thief. Now, it's my turn to fight."

She began running to me. I smirked; I put the heat pole and the cool pole together like an x. I then threw it like a boomerang. When it hit her, it blew her away making her land on the wall.

The cold air and the hot air will bump each other creating an explosive wind.

"Hm. Looks like I can't underestimate you." She said.

I grinned.

She then ran up to me trapping me when I got caught off guard. "Although you got an interesting weapon, it doesn't have much attacking power." I couldn't help but think how much she was underestimating me.

"You can only use it as a toy. If it's made for a purpose, specifically for killing people, then it can be called a weapon." She then made her nose a spike and tried to headbutt me.

I ducked and hit her stomach with my staff. I then tried to increase some distance again.

In order to use this technique, I was going to need to blow some heat bubbles. I heard her run toward me again.

I got punched this time.

My weapon wasn't reliable yet, but as I practice more with this I'm sure I will get the hang of it.

I looked up and saw a bubble.

The heat balls will suck up the moisture made from my cool balls from earlier. The air will then condense and form a cloud. Eventually, I'll have enough clouds to use my electric pole on them thus creating thunderbolts.

I knew I could win.

She approached me and I used my electric balls. Thunder struck her.

She was still standing and she looked pissed.

That's what you get for making fun of me.

She still ran to me. She can still move?

I used my foot to block it.

"I don't feel a damn thing! Do you know that person's pain?" I yelled.

Vivi had been suffering the most. This was nothing to what she could have felt about her country.

I then used the only technique that Usopp kept. It was useful even though I couldn't control it directly.

I shot my staff out on her. I saw two doves trap her. My staff started spinning.

 **Tornado tempo.**

The force swept her off her feet and caused her to crash through a wall.

I looked over and saw that she was unconscious.

I looked over my staff. I think I'll call this weapon Clima-tact.

* * *

Zoro vs Mr. 1

A few moments earlier

 **Zoro Pov**

I saw Nami being chased across the street by two people.

That troublesome woman always getting herself into trouble.

I was going to use a shortcut to intercept them, so I turned left going through the alley way.

I ran towards and saw Nami tripping. Just as Nami tripped, the man was about to kick her.

I blocked it with my sword and noticed the pillar was split apart.

That wasn't me. Was it him?

Looking closer, the pillar was actually cut apart.

This must be Mr. 1, the one who ate the Supa Supa fruit.

I tried cutting him to confirm. It sounded like my sword clash another sword. I smirked.

"So it's you. The one who killed over 50 at Whiskey Peak."

I grinned. "Well, I would have killed 100 if my crewmate didn't help me out." Yuuto should have killed the survivors.

We then started clashing against each other.

"Miss Doublefinger."

"I'll finish that guy. Is that what you were going to say? Sure have it your way." His partner walked off. "As for me, I'll finish off the little girl."

I turned to look after Nami, but she had run away. I hope her training pulled off.

I put on my bandana. I needed to finish this quick.

We continued fighting for a good two minutes. He didn't cut me, but I didn't cut him.

I did see that I nicked him a little bit, but that wasn't good enough.

"Your body is as hard as iron. If I can't cut iron, then I can't hurt you." I stated as a fact.

"Correct" he said.

"As long as I can't cut metal, I can't beat you right now." I take off my robe.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked.

"I am in a dangerous situation. Danger can force a swordsman to be stronger." I stated. I then get in my santoryu stance. "When I've beaten you, I'll be a man who can slash through metal."

Or a man who can use this Haki that Yuuto's been talking about.

"Sorry to ruin your mood, but since I've earned these powers. No one has ever been able to hurt me."

I smirked. "That may change because you have never met me."

We continued our fight. I was trying to remember what Yuuto explained about Haki and what my master said about cutting metal.

" _The 'strongest sword' can protect and destroy anything it wants."_

That doesn't make any sense to me.

What did Yuuto say about Haki?

" _The best way for me to descirbe Haki in one word is willpower. You can also think of it as spiritual energy._ **"** [AN: from Chapter 2]

Do I need more willpower to cut iron?

" _Haki is a power that is found in every living organism. Plants, animals, and humans all have haki. You just need to awaken it."_ [AN: also from Chapter 2]

Suddenly, Mr. 1 cut me during my thoughts.

Damn it. I should have been focused on the battle. I coughed up some blood.

I wasn't close to death. However, I knew if Mr.1 hit me one more time, then it would be life threatening. Mr. 1 continued his assault and cut a nearby pillar.

I didn't move because I knew those rocks wouldn't hit me.

I closed my eyes. I connected the ideas what was said to me. In that moment, I had heard a sense of life for the rocks falling.

No, not a sense of life but breathing.

Is this breathing Haki?

I looked at him.

I can hear his metal breathing. I can sense it.

I look at my sword. I'm going to transfer my will through Wado Ichimonji and see if I truly gained the power to cut through metal.

Mr. 1 ran toward me.

This was going to be our final attack.

 **Shishi son son.**

As we clashed, I cut him before he touched me. I smiled.

I had gotten stronger and closer to my dream.

I look back and Mr. 1 had come crashing down with blood.

I would have to ask Yuuto whether I unlocked Haki or if I could cut through metal.

Either way, I made progress toward my dream.

* * *

Yuuto vs. ?

 **Yuuto POV**

I was focused on protecting the king at his palace. I think I had set everything up for my plan. I already sensed one extremely strong presence enter the city. It had to be Crocodile. My crew except Luffy were already inside the city; they seemed that they were fighting against the agents.

Chaka was outside, ordering the army to have the white flag out. The royal army was ready to defend itself outside but not start a fight.

I could only pace back and forth. Trying to remember what Nami and the rest of them said. Crocodile and the rest of the agents were coming here. It seemed that Crocodile didn't know that the royal army was not going to fight but surrender immediately.

More importantly, I could only hope that Luffy didn't get killed from Crocodile.

As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but remember Loguetown.

He wasn't going to do die. He was still alive. Crocodile just didn't know it yet.

I quickly cursed. Two people had entered the castle.

I quickly ran toward where the king would be in his chambers. I intercepted both Crocodile and Nico Robin in the hallway. Thankfully, the Duck Claw Squad, the king's special guard, stood around the corner outside his chambers ready.

"Geez more pests just keep coming. I'll take care of the king's special guard. You take care of the man with the stupid fox mask. " He tried to walk past me.

I tried to punch him, but I saw a hand held me back. Crocodile then pushed me away with his sand and turned the corner.

I heard the Duck Claw squad yell.

I needed to hurry. The Duck Claw squad would only delay him. As I tried running, I tripped over a leg.

I looked over at Nico Robin who ran ahead of me. I carefully analyzed her. It seemed that her ability was to produce extra body parts. She was clever to have hidden the ability from me last time.

I wonder if she could...

Focus Yuuto. Do not think about her body.

She looked at me. This was going to be an interesting rematch since 5 years ago. "Careful Fox-kun, you need to get through me."

This time, I had observation Haki and seastone gloves ready.

I scowled at her. "Now's not the time."

As I saw her sprout three extra hands throughout my body, I quickly touched them with my gloves.

She flinched, and they quickly disappeared.

I grinned. Seastone does have its use.

"Don't get in my way." she warned.

I looked at her eyes. "I tried 5 years ago."

She said, "I know."

I tried running to her, but she tripped me again and spouted many hands so my body couldn't move. I was lying on the ground, but she flipped me. She approached me, and I could only look at her defiantly.

"Why?" I asked. She only held me down but not hurt me.

"What?" she asked back.

"Why did you join Crocodile? And why did you try to help us?"

She looked in surprise. I was right. She took out a knife as if ready to kill me. She didn't seem like she was.

I continued. "You don't want Crocodile to take control of this country do you? That's why you've been helping us." I speculated.

"Shut up! You don't understand anything." She was furious. However, I could sense some truth in that statement.

"You're right. I don't."

She paused, surprised I said that.

I continued. "I remember the reports about you. It told of how we were always told to watch out for you as you seemed to always join a different group each time. You always betrayed your group. Now, you have been trying to help us." I looked at her. It seemed that she was conflicted.

I continued, "You knew who Vivi and Igaram were since they joined." I looked at her and she didn't deny that.

"You tried helping us by not offering a different path other than Little Garden. You knew it would take one year to reset the log post." I again looked at her and she didn't deny that.

"Why are you helping us and him? You never attacked us when you had the chance. Until right now. In front of Crocodile." I asked.

She became silent. "Let's say that his goal and my dream might happen to be the same thing. We just have different agendas with it."

What does that even mean?

She looked at me. "Your captain's still alive. Also Igaram."

I had already feared the worst when Crocodile came and I didn't sense Luffy. "Why should I trust you?" Maybe, she was trying to lower my guard.

A voice cut us off. "I'm disappointed in you Miss All Sunday. I thought you would have finished him off." We both turned and saw Crocodile with the king. It seemed that he didn't hear our conversation.

"Sorry, it became a little personal." She looked at me angrily. I kept my mouth shut.

"Who is he? That mask design does look familiar now that I look closer at it. It has an interesting spiral."

I stayed quiet. "Not gonna talk to me eh? Well, I guess I'll kill you."

"Stop. We have the king. Let's go." Robin intervened. I looked in surprised again. Even now, she didn't want to kill me. An obstacle to their goal.

He smiled. "Yes. Let's." They walked out to the courtyard. As they did, the hands tying me up disappeared.

* * *

I wasn't going to let them go so easily. Our fight didn't hurt me that bad. I sensed Vivi was at the courtyard.

As I ran out, I saw the king nailed to a wall. Crocodile had approached him. "Where is the Pluton?"

I quickly hid behind a wall. Maybe, I could learn more about his goal and get him to confess.

King Cobra's eyes widened in shock. "How did you hear about that name?"

"I heard using it once would make a whole island disappear. That thing should be somewhere in this country." He then gloated. "I can build the strongest military force here using it."

Vivi asked out loud, "A weapon? That powerful? In this country?"

I never heard of this before. If what he's saying is true, that means Robin is also after this too.

What did she mean by different agendas?

The king said, "I don't know where you heard that name. I don't know where that thing is."

Crocodile then threatened. "That's fine. This afternoon, a powerful cannon will fire here. The blast will have a 5 kilometer radius."

Damn it. A cannon fire here. You need to a cannon to be high up to aim here. Crocodile really thinks of everything.

Vivi really started arguing. Crocodile ignored her and faced the king. "Where is the thing that has true history?"

Seeing the king's face, I saw his good nature acting up. "If I take you there,... Alright... I will take you there."

I decided to run out. I couldn't let Crocodile win. "I'm stopping you Crocodile."

"You don't seem to give up. Who are you?"

"I'm the Scheming Fox. I'm a member of the Strawhat crew." I said defiantly. I didn't let him know about my other alias.

He laughed. "I already killed your captain."

I froze for a moment. I remembered what Robin had said and stared at her. She stared at me straight back.

Dang it. I don't know who to believe.

"I don't believe you. I refuse to believe that you killed him." I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince myself of that.

"Are you mocking me boy? Just like your captain did."

"Who are you exactly? Some nobody who lost to Whitebeard?" I jeered at him seeing if he would take my taunt.

He roared, irritated at the insult I threw at him. "I am Crocodile. You want to know what I've done. I'm the hero of this country. The one who framed the King and took water from this country. It was all set up by me and my company Baroque Works for the last three years. Who are you?"

Perfect. "That's what I wanted to hear." I ignored his question.

"What?"

I revealed a hidden visual Den Den mushi I had set up at the courtyard. It was broadcasting to a recorder with the royal army. The royal army would show this what happened to the rebel forces.

 **Flashback**

When I had went to buy Den Den mushis at Nanohana, I saw that they also had a visual Den Den mushi. It was worth a decent amount . I decided to buy it.

Maybe this Den Den Mushi could help expose Crocodile.

In order to stop the people from fighting, I would need an actual confession from Crocodile.

 **End Flashback**

This country wasn't going to continue fighting now that they knew the truth.

Crocodile looked pissed. I was probably going to die, but at least this country would know the truth.

I looked at Robin and she looked impressed at what I just did.

I then prepared myself in a fighting stance and got my finger claws out.

Vivi called out, "Don't fight!" Not right now.

Crocodile looked at her annoyed, and went after her. I ran as fast as I could.

I made it in time. He was about to pierce her with his hook but I stopped him with my gloves.

"Vivi run. Stop the cannon. I'll hold him off." I said seriously.

"But Mr. Fox. -" She was worried.

"We don't have much time."

She nodded and started running away. She cried out, "Don't die!"

I looked back at her, knowing what my feelings for her were. I shook my head and prepared to face him.

"You've been really annoying." He stated.

"You shouldn't underestimate us." I said. I just sensed Luffy coming back. I smiled. He was alive like Robin said he was. He was about 7 minutes away.

I could hold him off until Luffy comes back. I'll give Luffy my gloves.

I then punched Crocodile in the face. He looked at me.

I taunted, "It's been a while since you've actually felt pain isn't it?"

"Do you have -"

I interrupted his question and scratched him in the stomach. He bled a little bit.

"I see. You're using seastone." He began analyzing me.

I then ran to him and continued punching him. He actually had to try and dodge them. I got 6 hits in.

"That fox mask design with the downward spiral. Seastone gloves with claws? Could you be -"

"Shut up!" I punched him in the face. Angry with the possibility of what he was about to say.

"So I am correct." He smirked at that.

I shook my head. I shouldn't have been surprised that he knew about my previous job. Still, I needed to calm down. Otherwise, I couldn't use Observation Haki. He hadn't been attacking me yet. I needed to make sure my attacks counted while I had the chance.

Crocodile continued "What's someone like you joining a group of small time pirates?"

"They're not small time pirates. Trust me." I countered.

"Someone with your talents should join me instead."

I ran to punch him in the stomach.

"Sorry. I'm not interested." I then quickly tried to give him a concussion with a blow to his head.

He then turned to sand and got away from me.

I sensed him using some sand to cut me, so I dodged at the last minute.

"You have good reflexes. Or is it something else?"

Breathe Yuuto. He's trying make me lose my cool.

"No response eh? Well, I never expected someone like you to be here. I have to go all out." He then put his hand on the ground. He turned to Robin and yelled "Leave unless you want to get caught!"

Robin took the king away. I needed to focus on Crocodile then I'll chase after them.

He plans on sucking up all the water in the whole land.

The ground collapsed. I jumped the falling rocks getting closer to him.

He was about to turn to sand and go behind me. I swung backward at him right as he did so. He coughed out some blood.

"So it's not just good reflexes I'm dealing with eh?"

Just as I was about to punch him again, he grabbed my right arm with his right hand.

Crap. I should have fought more defensively. I tried to scratch his arm with my left hand immediately.

I made it in time because he had to let go because of the pain and I jumped away.

I need to fight a little more defensively and stall for Luffy. I panted.

I looked at Crocodile. He was getting tired, but not as much as me. The cuts I made on him weren't life threatening, just annoying.

He was about to cause a sandstorm. He then transformed to sand and traveled along the sandstorm.

I jumped out of the way again ready to strike him when I could.

I felt that he was ready to come below me. I jumped back again. He then went behind me.

It's so annoying fighting sand.

I punched him with my right out of relex, but he grabbed my other hand just as I moved forward.

I winced knowing what was going to happen. That was not a fair trade. He intentionally let himself get hit by me. I really should have fought more defensively.

He then absorbed all the water in my body and left me there. He looked at me, "You lose you piece of trash."

As I was clinging on to life, I looked at Crocodile. He had some blood on him, but he looked like he could keep fighting. Crocodile soon left, following where Robin and the king had gone.

* * *

In two minutes, Luffy and Pell finally arrived, and Luffy threw some water on me.

"Yuuto, are you ok?" Luffy asked worriedly.

"You're late." I said as angry as I could.

"Sorry. I was busy eating some meat. Where's Crocodile?"

I sighed. Could he take this seriously?

"I'll lead you to him. Pell go help Vivi. There's a powerful cannon that's going to fire here. Look in the tall buildings."

Pell nodded and flew away.

I used some of my remaining observation Haki and led Luffy to the tomb. It was a 5 minute run.

I told him that I had weakened Crocodile. Luffy would need a couple of good hits. I asked if he wanted my gloves but he said no.

He told me that water or blood can hurt him. It would make the sand stick together. I then realized that's why Luffy was carrying a barrel next to him.

That explains why he took away all the rain. He wanted to make sure it wouldn't randomly rain on him. He really did come up with a lot of plans. Using Dance Powder killed two birds with one stone.

As I led him to the tomb, he told me to stay outside. I refused. I was going to go with him. I sensed that he was about to attack me.

However, his attack was too fast for me to dodge completely. I had to block it and was pushed back. He had gotten noticeably stronger since I had seen him two days ago.

What a scary growth compared to the times we trained at Going Merry.

I looked at him wondering how he grew so much.

I remember a conversation I had with Nami. Luffy would grow stronger when he has to protect someone.

It did seem that he was taking my advice more seriously now.

Luffy reminded me of my left leg injury and ordered me to stay outside. I could come in if he lost again.

I made a small smile. I had controlled my left leg during the entire fight. The physical therapy was helping. It didn't bother me as much as before.

I groaned and decided to meditate outside when I noticed he walked in without me.

I noticed that Robin's presence started to fade a little bit. What happened?

I wanted to go back in, but captain's orders are captain's orders.

* * *

Luffy vs Crocodile Round 2

 **Luffy POV**

I needed to hurry. This place was falling apart.

I found Crocodile." I caught up!"

His eyes bulged out, "You. You're supposed to be dead."

I'm not dead Crocodile idiot.

"Why are you still alive? I thought I killed you back at Rainbase." He continued asking me.

The king looked at me. "Why is he here?"

The nice woman who saved me earlier was lying face down. "Straw hat kid." She looked beaten up.

"Why don't you just give up?" Crocodile called out.

"Because you have taken something away and you haven't returned it." I became more serious.

"I took a lot of things? You're going to have to be more specific." He seemed to snarl at me.

"Country."

"Country? I'm not going to be king thanks to your stupid fox servant." He was irritated.

I ignored the last remark.

"By the time I came here, that guy's kingdom was gone."

I then charged at him with water dripping over.

I had finally hit him. He hit the wall.

"Could you have -?" He stopped when he noticed the water dripping from my hand.

I then continued my Gomu Gomu machine gun.

He stood up. "All right. Your crew's stubbornness should have some kind of reward." He dodged my kick.

He took off his hook and I saw it drip something.

"This is the last fight." He coldly said.

"Bring it!" I challenged.

We kept trading blows. I was careful not to let his hook hurt me or for him to dry up the water.

Eventually, he got me with his hook.

He looked at me and smiled. "Eventually that poison will kill you."

"I don't care. I need to beat you."

"Why?"

"It's for Vivi. Even though she tries to throw her life away to save others, she'll die because of you guys."

I continued my Gomu Gomu machine gun, focused on beating him.

I suddenly fell to the floor, feeling exhausted.

I heard laughter and saw Crocodile still standing. "What about now? Do you still think you can win? If you don't win this fight, it's meaningless. Even if you stop the cannon from firing, it will become a bomb."

I got up again. "Crocodile. If it's just you against me..." I was getting a little dizzy "You cannot defeat me!"

He looked at me. "You could barely speak those words. How can you say such things?"

"Because I will be Pirate King!" I then focused my entire energy on the next couple punches I had left.

I used my Gomu Gomu machine gun again.

"Do you know who I am?" Crocodile called out once more.

"I will exceed you!" Yuuto had told me about his accomplishments. He was just a stepping stone for me to beat in order to become Pirate King.

I then unleashed my Gomu Gomu storm sending him through the roof.

I looked at him. He was mouthing something, but it was too far for me to tell.

I heard footsteps coming down and saw Yuuto with his mask on.

"You did it Luffy!" he exclaimed.

The king looked at me and Yuuto. "I will have to thank both of you."

"No need for it." I said.

"Luffy. Let's get out of here." I heard Yuuto say.

I couldn't move anymore and collapsed. Yuuto came over me.

I heard a bottle roll close to me. "Here. Apply that to him." It was that nice woman again.

"It will get rid of Crocodile's poison." Yuuto had looked at her suspiciously.

"Don't worry. She's not as bad as you think. She saved my life earlier." I said. Yuuto hesitated but applied it.

"Why did you lie to him?" The king asked her.

What was going on?

"So you knew."

"There is no history written on the stone. It's only about the weapon and its location." The king said.

"I don't really care. I never planned on giving the "weapon" to Crocodile from the beginning."

Yuuto then folded his hands. He was probably thinking about the entire situation.

"Why did you come down here then?" the king asked her.

"Hoping and expecting are two different matters. I have always been looking for Rio Poneglyph."

"I don't understand. What is the Rio Poneglyph?"

"Forget it. It's been 20 years since I started searching for it. Here lies my last hope. Even if I die here, it was inevitable." The woman had sat down looking defeated.

"All I wanted to know was history. My dream... hat too many enemies." She started crying.

I had gotten up and grabbed both the king and the woman. This woman had a dream like I did.

"Wait a second, Luffy. She's the enemy." I heard Yuuto cry out.

"I've lost what I wanted in life. Leave me here. Just go!" The woman also cried out.

"Why should I listen to your ranting?"

I was paying her back for saving my life twice. I saw Yuuto about to say something, but I gave him a look.

Yuuto decided not to argue. He motioned that he would help carry the king, while I would still carry the woman.

I let him do so. As we made our way up, I was feeling exhausted.

I let the woman go on the ground nicely. Me, Yuuto, and her shared a look.

She walked away slowly.

"You're welcome to join our crew Miss." I yelled and collapsed on the floor.

I ignored the looks Yuuto and the king gave me. I was so tired. I closed my eyes and began to sleep.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I can't believe he said that. I was about to beat him up, but he fell asleep.

Robin gave a confused look. I gave her a fierce look as to tell her that no way she was joining our crew.

I don't care if she helped us the entire time. She has obviously betrayed people before. I won't let the crew fall to that. It was only a matter of time before she would do the same thing to us.

This crew was built on trust. Trust in Luffy and in each other.

She could very easily break that trust.

Robin walked away to an alleyway. Before she entered the alley, she stopped.

"Good-bye. Tell your captain I reject his offer. It was nice seeing you again Fox-kun. You win this time."

I didn't say anything and let her go. I sighed. At least, she respected that. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

I went against captain's orders in refusing her join us, and she did help us in the end.

The rain began to fall interrupting my thoughts.

The king said that he could walk. I let go of him and I put Luffy in a piggyback position. I had to meet up with my crew. We walked along for five minutes, not saying a word to each other.

We had an awkward conversation yesterday.

"Oh!" I heard Sanji's voice.

"There they are!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Will you stop pulling me?" That sounded like Usopp.

I looked and saw Zoro dragging Usopp. He was fully bandaged.

King Cobra asked, "Who are you?" to my crew.

"That's my crew." I answered.

Sanji pointed and asked, "Who are you mister?"

"Papa. Everyone?" That was Vivi.

Sanji immediately bowed down and apologized for pointing.

I laughed at him. Suckup.

We all sat down. I motioned for Vivi to go. "Vivi. You guys need to go and explain to the citizens. We're pirates. We won't do well with politics."

The crew agreed and soon we all ran out of adrenaline. One by one, we all went to sleep.

Before I went to sleep, I wondered how the World Government was going to cover this up.

* * *

AN:

I decided to delete what I wrote how they helped stop the bomb. I wasn't satisfied with the way I wrote it

The only key difference is that Usopp has grappling hooks, so Vivi, Nami, Chopper, and Usopp all make it to the top. Sanji and Zoro joined along the way. Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day quickly lost. They do find the bomb earlier because of grappling hooks. However, Pell still "sacrificed" himself.

Key differences now according to the battle order I wrote

[1] Usopp has Kabuto now but not physically strong to use it consistently. In the manga, the Kabuto also has dials. He also has a more versatile arsenal. He is also physically stronger than before. In the manga, at that time, he could only carry 5 kg, now he can carry 8 kg!

Chopper, on the other hand, just started training. His changes will be seen more in the next arc.

According to my time frame, he joined the crew 7 days ago. He's not going to improve as much as the others who had been training for an extra 2 weeks.

[2] Sanji is physically stronger than he was in the manga. He didn't have broken ribs this time.

[3] Nami's climatact is more serious now. It's not the perfect climatact yet because that needs dials. Nami is also physically stronger because she helps Luffy train for observation Haki.

[4] Zoro possibly unlocked armament Haki or cut metal. This does not mean he can use it consistently.

[5] Luffy's just physically stronger and faster.

Please leave a review about something you liked or disliked. Just as a reminder, if you do leave a story idea, that does not necessarily mean that it will happen. I may or may not use it. I just use your ideas to connect some parts of my plot.


	12. Chapter 12 After Alabasta

Disclaimer: Simply put, I don't own One Piece.

Onward to the story.

* * *

After Alabasta

The next day

 **Yuuto POV**

I woke up and saw that I was at the palace guest room. I looked and saw some of my crew. They were sleeping.

I didn't see Zoro, Nami, and Chopper. I figured they were up.

I needed to see the news immediately. I put my mask away.

I got outside and asked for a paper. I read it and laughed bitterly.

The news said that Smoker had captured Crocodile.

I looked at the bounties. We weren't added yet.

Hmmm. Interesting.

I walked out and saw Zoro lifting rocks. I asked him. "Hey Zoro!"

He paused his training. "Hey Yuuto. Perfect. I have something to ask you."

I walked closer to him. "Sure go ahead."

"I think I unlocked Haki. I cut Mr. 1."

I considered the possibilities. "Or you could have cut through metal." I was trying to be reasonable and not get my hopes up.

Still, if Zoro unlocked Haki then that means this crew will eventually be ready for the New World. If Paradise was already a struggle for us, the New World would be even tougher. All of us needed to get ready for it soon.

So far, I struggled because of my injury and against Crocodile. The crew will fight stronger people too.

Zoro elaborated. "When you said Haki was a will, I realized I could hear almost everything breath. Even his body."

I nodded. "Yeah. I think you unlocked Haki. When I use my Haki, I can feel your guy's presences and intent. Now you just have know how to activate armament Haki consistently. I'll keep what you said in mind when I try to unlock armament Haki." I smiled.

"So now I have to consistently be able to do this."

"Yes. For me, I have to consistently think about using Observation Haki. It's not second nature to me yet. And I've had it for about ten months now."

Zoro considered it. Haki training was incredibly annoying. In a sense, I've only used it for 4 months because for 6 months ago, I didn't really need to use it.

"I would focus on physical exercise first." I suggested. He looked at me. "I don't have a way of telling when you are using armament Haki. Besides, Haki is something that gets stronger the more you fight stronger opponents. It's a fight of wills. "

He looked at me. "Then why do you have Nami hit Luffy and call it observation Haki training? He hasn't obviously hasn't unlocked it yet."

I smiled at that. "Luffy can unlock it this way too. Also, think of it as payback for his antics. Besides, Nami also needs a way to get physically stronger. Luffy has gotten better at dodging naturally though."

He smiled knowing what I was referring to. "That might be considered as intentionally harming the captain."

"Oh please. We all know how bad you want to cut him sometimes. I have my seastone gloves on in case I needed to pound him." He nodded and went back to training.

Looking at him train, I decided to go to Chopper and check up on my leg. I went where I felt he would be.

I opened the door and saw him and another doctor. It looked like they were sharing medical advice.

"Hey Chopper." I asked.

"Yuuto. What are you doing up?" He was surprised to see me.

"I just woke up. I came here to see if you could check up on me and my leg. I got lucky and no one hurt my left leg."

"Yuuto. We all told you not to fight." He said worriedly.

"I know, but I was in a situation where I had to fight." It was true.

He sighed. "I saw part of the fight. The den den mushi still came rolling."

I sighed. That was going to come bite me. If certain ones paid enough attention to my mask, I was going to be in trouble.

I knew I was going to eventually see my former employers one way or another.

Maybe I should change my mask but keep the fox theme.

Well, my mask is custom built and it's pretty hard to break.

I looked at Chopper. "Well, he didn't hurt my left leg."

"Let me check." As Chopper began checking my leg, in came Nami and Vivi.

I looked at them they both seemed to be laughing earlier. I tensed up. They both saw me. Nami gave Vivi a smile while Vivi just shook her head.

Nami please don't play matchmaker.

Especially when I don't love her the way she thinks she loves me as I realized from my conversation with her father.

 **Flashback**

"Now. What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?"

I gulped. "Your highness. I don't know."

"You don't know?" He didn't sound like he believed me.

"I don't know." I dumbly replied back.

"I see." He narrowed his eyes. "I remember after we came back from Reverie, she couldn't stop talking about you."

I wanted to awkwardly laugh at that but I kept silent. I was really nice to her. I played tag with her during Reverie. I intentionally spilled a drink on Wapol after he intentionally hit Vivi.

"She even declared that she wanted to marry you."

I was thankful for the mask because I was sure I was blushing at that. I didn't know about that.

"Now six years later, in the letter she wrote to me and the way she talked, I can tell she has the same kind of feelings again."

I sighed.

"Tell me. What do you think of my daughter?" I looked at him; he wasn't attacking me yet.

I needed to be honest with the king. "Your daughter is physically attractive. She's beautiful, and she would make hundreds of men fight over her. However, … she's too young for me. I don't even think I can fall in love with her." I bowed before the king.

I hoped he would not know about my inappropriate dream I had about his daughter.

I realized that just because I dreamed about it, that doesn't mean I love her. My body just had a natural reaction beyond my control.

"It's ok. You can get up." He said while playing with his sword.

"You're not going to hurt me." I couldn't believe that. Not with the sword out.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I might kill you if you make her cry but that's not your fault." He put the sword away.

I looked to King Cobra in surprise.

"Personally, I think she's just infatuated with you." I looked at him in shock. "You represent to her the ideal bodyguard. Strong, smart, loyal, dependable, and kind."

"But I'm not that. You should know that I worked for the World Nobles and the connections they have. You know what they are." I didn't dare speak them by name. "If Vivi knew what I had done for them, she'd hate me." I kneeled before him.

I have stolen many things for the world nobles. To me, stealing was easily forgivable because it could be replaced. Besides, stealing was in my blood.

I was not ok with killing people or kidnapping. I have kidnapped people for them to be slaves or perhaps even worse. To me, messing with a human's life went too far.

Unfortunately, I had to follow orders or else.

"Listen, Black Fox. You have probably done many things you regret doing while working for them. However, I know that you are not truly like that. You showed it to us. Although you have done terrible things, I can tell that you are deeply regretful of them."

I looked up. "However, I don't want my daughter to be involved with you." He continued. I nodded. "It's just because of your history."

"I understand." It really would break her heart if she knew what I did.

"You're not a bad man." he clarified.

I know. But I felt the need to redeem myself. That's why I was happy that I could help here.

 **End Flashback**

Now that the 'job' was done. I couldn't avoid Vivi any longer.

"Chopper." Trying to distract myself. "How is it?"

"Well Yuuto. Your left leg is recovering and you didn't aggravate it."

"See what did I say Chopper." I gave him a pat on the head. He blushed at this. I knew that was his favorite spot. "Is it ok that I do my stretches here?" I didn't want to think about it.

Nami then giggled while Vivi shushed her.

Ok. I forgot they were here. Let me just leave then.

"What's funny Nami?" asked Chopper. That question made Nami laugh even harder.

"Nothing." Vivi answered quickly. "Just nothing." I didn't want to give them a look to make matters worse.

"She's right. It's... nothing. Maybe when you're older you'll understand."

You're not being subtle here Nami.

I sighed. I turned around, not facing them.

"Say Chopper why don't we..." Nami stated saying.

Vivi interrupted. "Is there anything we can do for Luffy? He's slowly getting better."

I can hear Nami giving Vivi an all knowing smirk while Vivi was trying to ignore her.

"I'll do my stretches later then. I'll go out and see if there's something we should buy at the market."

I quickly walked to the front of the door.

"That's great. Maybe Vivi can show you around." Nami suggested.

"I don't want to." Vivi said.

"Actually Nami, I'm low on cash. Maybe I'll borrow some money from you." I lied. Maybe that would help.

Instantly her eyes became berri sign. "Sure. How much do you need?" Hook, line, and sucker.

She was the sucker. Not me. No way am I borrowing money from her.

"Actually. Let's talk about it while we get it. I'll tell you what I plan on buying."

"Ok sure."

Nami had a one track mind.

As we both walked out, we walked quietly for a couple minutes.

"You're not actually asking for money are you?" Nami realized.

"Nope."

"Dang it. I got tricked." She started pouting.

"It's about Vivi."

"Oh. This should be good." she said excitedly.

I look at her. "You should try to be less obvious."

"About what."

"You seem like you're pushing us together. But you haven't really considered our feelings. I know you haven't considered mine."

"So you know ..." Nami faltered the last part.

" Yes. I know." I continued. "You made it super obvious now. As a bodyguard, I have to pay attention to details. They include interactions between people. Anyways, have you considered my feelings?"

I would never play matchmaker unless I knew for sure both people actually had feelings for each other. It didn't feel right.

She paused and sighed."I wanted her to at least confess. You seemed that you have a chance of loving her."

"I only care about her like a little sister. It's like how I am with the entire crew. You guys are like my little siblings. You're my little sister Nami. Sometimes, because of my age, you're like my little niece. Anyways, I'm not romantically in love with her. Why? Why do you care?"

"It seemed romantic and every girl's dream." I looked at Nami. There was something else there.

"So it was for your sake. It was to fulfill your desire." I said that part a little cruelly.

"No. No. Not like that." She waved her hand off.

"Then what is it?"

"Well, you know I never had a normal childhood." I nodded at that, we talked about her entire situation with Arlong. I was happy that my crew was so protective of each other when I heard what they did. This crew was a family. If someone messed with one of us, especially, the little sister of the group, there was going to be hell to pay.

"I didn't have a normal life growing up too, but I did go on dates. Albeit, they weren't really serious." I told her.

"I wanted her to take the chance I never had. I didn't want her to regret not confessing. I didn't really have a chance to go on a date let alone, an actual relationship. " I looked at her eyes. I nodded understanding where she was coming from.

You still have that chance. I was noticing her interactions with the other crew members. There was something deep. Most of the time, it was sisterly or motherly, but there was something hidden.

"Well, you do now. You could find a guy here and go on a date. I'm sure someone will say yes." I said as a matter of fact.

She laughed at that. "I know I'm cute that people would line up to go on a date with me. But what if I fall in love with one of them? Then you guys wouldn't have a navigator." She winked at me jokingly.

First, I wouldn't be losing a navigator. I would be losing a sister if that happened.

Second, I'm sure people will say yes if she asked. I doubt she would actually fall in love with someone with one date. Unless the man had a lot of money.

"I wasn't talking about a stranger, why don't you ask one of our crew members?"

She looked at me disbelievingly. "None of them would want to. Don't say Sanji because he will date any woman. I don't think I need to say anything about the rest of the crew. You're off limits and you're not my type anyway."

I agreed with the last bit. However, if she knew I had a bank account, I would suddenly become her type. I wasn't so sure about no one on the crew interested in her. "How about I tag along with you and another crew member. I'll disappear a bit if that ever happens."

"That's not gonna happen."

I gave her a smile. It was like a challenge. I wasn't going to do anything on purpose, but I had a feeling she would go on a 'date' with one of us eventually. "Sure."

"That's not the point. Now what do we do about Vivi?" She asked me, wanting to change the subject.

"Nothing. I have to be the one who takes care of it. If she asks me, I will tell her the truth gently." I sighed. I emphasized the last bit.

"I'm going to charge you 1,000,000 berris for breaking her heart." she threatened.

I didn't have an answer to that. I didn't want to break her heart too. "Let me go walk around Alabasta and see what we need."

Nami nodded. She understood that I really meant that I wanted time by myself to think. "I see. See you later Yuuto."

"See you Nami. Don't tell Vivi. Just next time, don't get yourself involved in this situation."

She pouted. "What. I can't help my big brother find a nice wife?" She playfully punched my shoulder and went back.

I was happy she called me big brother. However, considering the situation I let out a breath. "Guys like me don't deserve it." I said to the empty hallway. [1]

* * *

 **Nami POV**

As I got back to the room from my conversation with Yuuto, I couldn't help but feel sad.

The fact that Yuuto called me his sister really did feel nice. We had gotten close ever since he joined. He had been helping train me, and he would listen to me rant about the others. I never called him a brother, but all those times he helped me, realizing it now made me feel like he was my brother.

But poor Vivi.

I didn't want to be the one who gave Vivi bad news that Yuuto only saw her as a little sister.

Here this entire time, I've been trying to encourage Vivi to confess, not really thinking that Yuuto would actually reject her.

The fairytale I had in mind didn't come true after all.

I sighed.

Even though I'm 18, I couldn't help but start believing in fairytales again. Especially after when I had been saved from my personal hell about 3 weeks ago.

The way Luffy and my crew had saved me was really similar to a fairytale. All of them were like my knights.

Ever since I met them, I couldn't help but be happy. When they saved me from my dungeon, I couldn't help but join their crew.

And here, I was trying to share my experience with Vivi.

When I realized who Vivi was and how Luffy and my crew came to her, I couldn't help but feel how similar it was to my situation. Her land was secretly oppressed by Crocodile like mine was with Arlong. However, hers was much worse, causing everyone in the country to distrust one another.

At least, my hometown distrusted only me.

Vivi spent her last 5 years trying to help her country like how I tried to help my hometown. I even realize how helpless Vivi felt when she realized there was a bomb. It was like the time I went to Luffy for help.

Luffy won soon after that. Kind of interesting how similar the story is.

This crew, especially Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto, is strong. Luffy with his strength. Zoro with his loyalty. Sanji with his kindness. Yuuto with his strategy and experience. Usopp with his cleverness. Chopper with his innocence.

It was a good story.

And here I was, trying to add to the story with love. I laughed bitterly.

Maybe fairytales weren't complete.

As I walked back in, I see Vivi wetting a towel for Luffy's small fever.

Vivi really was a compassionate girl. I walked over and stared at her.

Vivi noticed me staring, "How much did you lend him?"

I quickly lied, "Not much. About 10,000 berris."

"So he needs to pay you back 30,000?"

I smiled. She knew how I worked. "Yeah. Something like that."

Seeing me, she quickly asked. "Did you say anything?"

"Nope" I answered quickly. "How's Luffy?" I added. That was more important.

Chopper told us, "He's recovering slowly. He'll wake up either this afternoon or tomorrow."

Suddenly, my den den mushi rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nami. It's Yuuto. Is Luffy awake?" That was quick.

"No. Why?"

A slight pause. " We got trouble. I heard that marine "Black Cage" Hina is after us. We should leave soon. I'll come back and plan."

"Ok."

"Bye." He said hastily.

Vivi looked. She didn't hear the conversation. "It was Yuuto. Apparently we should leave soon." I said the last part sadly.

I didn't want to leave.

"Oh. But we haven't celebrated yet. Luffy hasn't eaten his share of meat." Vivi also looked sad too.

At those words, we saw Luffy rise up. He opened his eyes and said "Did someone say meat?"

I sighed. He was such a kid.

"Good to see you're up." I said.

"Yeah. I slept so well. What time is it?"

"It's almost time for lunch."

"That means I missed 3 meals!"

I couldn't help but smile at that. Luffy and his simple-mindedness still made me laugh.

* * *

 **Luffy** Pov Change

I looked around. I saw Nami, Vivi, and Chopper around me.

"I'm hungry!"

Chopper told me to calm down while he would check on me.

The door opened and I saw the Curly man who was with Vivi at Whiskey park.

He was alive.

"Hey. You're alive!"

Vivi laughed. "No. She's Terracotta. Igraham's wife. By the way Igaram came back this morning. He's actually alive."

Zoro had walked in and muttered something I couldn't hear clearly.

Terracotta said, "I heard that you eat a lot. I've been working here for 30 years. I won't disappoint your appetite."

I smiled. I was going to eat a lot of food.

Dinner time

I quickly stuffed my face with whatever I saw. I grabbed food from Usopp.

He wasn't going to finish that. Otherwise, he would have started eating it.

"Hey Luffy. You just took my plate!" Usopp yelled.

Yeah but you were't eating it. You were staring at it for too long. You stared at it for 3 seconds too long.

I grabbed another plate of his.

When I took a bite, I started breathing fire. I noticed the other guards complimenting how loud we ate.

Food is meant to be eaten happily with your nakama. Of course, I want all the food, but it is fun to eat with others.

I saw Vivi's father and asked him if he was. Just to make sure.

He looked at me as if he didn't understand what I was saying. I always spoke very clearly when I was eating the meat.

"Take it easy. We can talk after eating." He decided.

"Oh right." I then grabbed ten more plates. We had a great time.

After dinner, the king invited us to a shower room.

That was a great experience. It was really relaxing. The floor was nice and slippery. I raced Usopp around. Zoro was cleaning Chopper. Yuuto was talking to the king.

I heard Sanji ask, "Hey. Where's the woman's bath?" to Igaram.

"Are you nuts? Why would I tell you that? Vivi's there." Igaram responded.

The king happily pointed out, "It's behind that wall."

I noticed everyone except Zoro, Yuuto and Chopper go over there. I became curious about why everyone went there, so I went there. It must have been interesting.

I looked and saw Vivi and Nami talking there. Nami noticed us and faced all of us.

I was completely caught off guard with what she did next.

She said, "100 thousand each." She dropped her towel and all the guys who walked over there, including me, got nosebleeds

She stood. Completely naked. In front of us.

It was quite a sight because I have never seen a real woman naked.

The Mr. 2 guy does not count.

As I laid on the floor, I was wondering something. It really wasn't that interesting, but I don't understand why my body reacted like that.

My body felt that this experience was better than meat. I shook my head. That's crazy.

Women can't really compare to meat. Meat is so much better. You could eat it, chew on it, and swallow it. It tastes really good.

You can't eat women. It's not fun.

I thought back to Makino. Makino had told me that I shouldn't ever see a woman naked unless I really loved her.

I love Nami but I don't think that's what Makino was referring to. After all, it was the same kind of love I had for all my friends. Makino laughed at me when I asked if it was the same kind of love I had for Ace, Makino, or Dadan. So I knew it wasn't referring to that.

I tried to think more because I felt I broke a promise to Makino. I ended up getting a headache. I was kind of feeling uncomfortable.

I looked over at Zoro and Yuuto. Maybe, I'll ask them because they probably didn't look otherwise they would have been uncomfortable.

This feeling I had was really weird.

I'll talk to Zoro about it if I remember. Yuuto probably didn't know this kind of stuff.

I suddenly heard everyone call the king a "pervert old man."

The king suddenly bowed before us.

Zoro asked, "Hey hey. Is it alright for you to do that as a king?"

Yuuto questioned, "What are you doing?"

"I am thinking as a father with a citizen's heart. To thank you."

I smiled at that.

After that, we went back to our rooms.

"Luffy. We need to leave tonight." Yuuto said. We, including Vivi, had gathered around the room.

Zoro nodded. "I also think this is the right time to go too."

I heard Usopp say, "Luffy. It's up to you."

"I want to stay and eat another meal before we go!" I cried. Food was too good to pass up. We could stay longer.

Nami whacked me in the head. "We must go now! You idiot!"

Ow. That hurt more than usual. I looked at Nami.

She started saying "Yuuto already mentioned to me that we have a marine captain known for capturing pirates around the Alabastan shores. She's been very successful. We shouldn't get caught." She moved forward toward me, and I felt that I had to agree with her.

I sighed. "Fine. Let's leave. But what about Vivi?" We all looked at Vivi. She looked confused. "You should come with us." I smiled. "It'll be fun."

Vivi seemed unsure. Nami spoke up.

"Vivi. We'll give you 12 hours. When we get our ship back at Sandora River, we will meet you at noon through the east coast. If you like to come with us, that's the only time you can come aboard."

I smiled at Vivi. "You have to come with us! Ok Vivi."

We all got ready to pack and were about to leave. However, she asked, "Can I talk to Yuuto privately before you guys go?"

It seemed that Sanji was upset about it. Chopper and I looked confused. Everyone else except Yuuto seemed to have expected it while Yuuto, who was sitting down, sighed. We all looked at Yuuto.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." He said. He tried to act like this was no big deal.

As we left through the window, I couldn't help but think that was weird.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

Everyone left. I was not ready for this. I was prepared to only talk about age as a reason.

If I told her my full history, it would probably ruin our friendship.

"Yes, Vivi? What do you -" I was cut off.

She gave me a quick innocent kiss on the lips. I felt nothing.

I was going to die by her father.

I looked at her with guilt. "I'm sorry. I don't..."

"I know Yuuto."

"You know?"

"I was kind of expecting it." She said. She started sniffling.

"Oh." Awkward silence. "When did you start expecting it?"

"My father kept staring at you during dinner. That's also when I realized that you tried to avoid me since we left on the Going Merry."

Oh. "Why did you kiss me then?" I was confused.

"That way I could move on." She said sadly.

"Listen Vivi." I paused, choosing my next words carefully. "If I had first met you when you were older, maybe I would have fallen in love with you. You are growing up to be a wonderful woman." I tried smiling at her.

If you were older and looked like my dream's version of you, you were going to have lots and lots of suitors.

However, if you were older, would you accept me for what I did before?

She nodded and tried to smile back.

I continued. "But a part of me will always see you as the 10 year old princess I protected 6 years ago. I think I will always see you as that." I said that part sadly.

Vivi started to cry a little.

I wanted to comfort her but I was afraid that would send the wrong message. I looked at her worriedly and she stopped almot immediately.

"Listen. I will always be your friend. If you need help beating your future boyfriends, you can call on me. I'll do that for you no problem."

She laughed at that.

As I got ready to leave, I said this last part. "I hope my rejection doesn't change your decision to join us. I would still be happy if you did join us." I looked at her eyes when I said that.

I didn't want to get my hopes up too much. It would have been awkward between us if she did come.

Still, I know how happy she was when she was traveling with us.

"The last week, really made me think of you as a great friend and like a little sister." I hoped she was ok with that.

She nodded. She had a lot on her mind.

I quickly gave her a hug before I left through the window. "I'm sure you'll meet someone better than me. Trust me." Not many people will have as much baggage as I do.

She nodded and waved good-bye. I quickly left.

I had way too many issues in my past.

As I left, I wondered. Would I see her tomorrow? **[** **2** **]**

* * *

At the Going Merry

"So what was that about?" Zoro asked me when I came in. I ignored him. He never seemed to pay attention to that sort of thing.

"Did you hurt her Yuuto? I'll never forgive you if you did." Sanji came close to me.

Nami pulled Sanji back. "Yuuto's not the type to do that... intentionally." She did look at me with hints of both anger and sadness.

"Don't worry about it." I said. I would tell Nami when I had the chance.

"Is she going to join?" Luffy asked.

I wasn't sure. "We'll see tomorrow. It seems that we have unwanted guests here." I glared at the door.

"Who me? " cried out Mr. 2. " I thought we were friends. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have this ship right now." I was expecting him however. He had called us earlier saying he got our ship.

"Not you and your crew. I'm talking about her." Observation Haki has its uses.

"Who?" everyone asked.

I groaned and walked inside the ship.

I came out with Nico Robin behind me.

* * *

 **Flashback**

Right after I left Nami, I walked around the Alabasta town square without my mask on. I was trying to blend in. I was looking to see if there were any bookstores or dojos for me to learn any martial techniques.

Sure enough, I found a bookstore and looked around. They had a book on bojutsu techniques.

Perfect. This should help with Nami.

I should ask Nami how her fight went and see if there were any problems. The weapon that Usopp made for her was best suited for long range. However, she would need a way to fight in case the enemy got close to her.

I took the book and also saw a book about makeup and disguises.

We were going to need that book soon. We were definitely going to get bounties, and we needed them. Hopefully, someone on the ship would be good at them.

I wasn't really good on applying make up. I felt that I did an average job doing so. As I went to cashier to pay for the books, I felt that I was being watched. As I turned around, I didn't notice anything out of the blue.

As I paid for the books, I walked out. I felt that I was being watched again.

Trusting my instincts, I activated my observation Haki and was surprised to find who was watching me. I walked to the nearest alleyway and put on my mask.

"Come out. I know you're there."

"Man, I must be getting sloppy if you found me." Out came Nico Robin.

"I'm surprised you figured out who I was. What gave it away?"

She gave a smirk. "I was walking through the bookstore. I noticed your hairstyle and you had the same build."

She was very perceptive. I didn't think about wearing a wig. I guess it was time for the crew to practice wearing some disguises. "What do you want?" I threatened.

"I wanted to see if your captain still wanted me to join his crew."

"You're joking." I couldn't believe her.

"I'm serious." I looked at her. She was too hard to trust.

"Why?"

"'Black Cage' Hina is patrolling the seas now. Looking to lock up some pirates." She said.

I see. "So you want to use us as protection." Still, this was useful information.

"You can think of it that way." She coldly replied.

"No." I said plainly.

"That's not up to you to decide. Your captain wanted me to join right?"

I groaned. She was technially right. I took out my den den mushi. "Fine. I'll call and see if he's awake." I called Nami's.

She picked up.

"Hello?" I heard her voice.

"Hey Nami. It's Yuuto. Is Luffy awake?" I was going to straight to the point.

"No. Why?"

I paused slightly. I didn't want to tell her about Nico Robin. I slightly lied. "We got trouble. I heard that the marine 'Black Cage' Hina is after us. We should leave soon. I'll come back and plan." I said that part in a hurry.

"Ok."

"Bye." I said the last part hastily. I quickly hung up.

"Well, he's still asleep." I told her.

"He's recovering from the poison. That's to be expected. He's lucky that this poison doesn't cause him to bleed internally, causing organ failure. " She said the last part morbidly. She started leaving.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I thought you didn't care." She fired back.

This woman was very witty. "I don't."

She continued walking away.

I hesitated. "Thanks for the headsup." I knew who Hina was. She wasn't super strong, but she had a great reputation for catching pirates. I continued, "If you are serious about joining the crew, bring a peace offering next time." I said the last part jokingly.

 **End Flashback**

* * *

And now she's here. I just looked at her. Here again.

"Are you here for revenge?" asked Zoro. He put his hands on his swords.

Nami put her hands on top of her face. "Why are you here?"

"Ahhh! Another pretty lady"

Usopp got out a megaphone. "Enemy. Enemy on board."

Chopper scared hid ... the wrong way again. I need to teach him how to hide better.

Luffy looked at here. "What. It's you. You're not dead?"

"Miss All Sunday? Why are you here?" asked Mr. 2.

She disarmed Zoro. "Don't point these dangerous things at me." She walked closer to Luffy. "Monkey D. Luffy." She got out a chair and sat in it. I sighed, knowing what to expect. "You didn't forget what you said did you?"

"What did Luffy say? Hey Luffy tell me. I'll beat it out of you." Sanji got closer to Luffy. I intervened.

Luffy picked his nose. "What did I do? I don't remember."

Luffy's not the type to take advantage of a woman. He's clueless.

I sighed, telling the truth. "Our captain asked her to join our crew."

"What?" Usopp cried out.

"You knew about this Yuuto?" Zoro asked looking at me. He looked calm.

"How come you didn't tell us?" Nami asked. She was angry.

I gave a sigh. "She rejected it at first. Then she came back. I didn't tell you guys because I didn't think she was actually coming to join."

Chopper was confused. He didn't really meet her before.

"Not just that. It's Luffy who made me go on when I wanted to die. That's your fault. I have nowhere to go." Robin continued.

"Oh." My captain dumbly replied. "If it's like that, then there's nothing I can do."

Usopp and Nami yelled angrily. Zoro looked angry. He looked at me to help say something. I motioned that I would help keep an eye on here. Sanji was happy.

"Don't worry." Luffy said. "She's not as bad as you think." He said with a smile.

Mr. 2 started crying, "This might be the start of a beautiful friendship."

No. Idiot. It's not. **[** **3** **]**

Mr. 2 and his crew went away to help ready his plan to distract Hina.

Usopp took the time to interrogate Robin. I walked over to Zoro, ready to hear what she said.

Robin was already playing around with Luffy and Chopper. She seemed particularly interested in Chopper. Chopper realizing this, tried to hide behind Luffy.

I need to teach Chopper how to hide. In case we ever have stealth missions.

Then again, when Sanji and Chopper were telling me how Chopper evaded Crocodile I was pretty proud of him. Good thing Chopper had 2 forms he could use to walk.

I sighed. She was smart already playing with them. We needed to keep our guard up.

"Pay attention!" Usopp started the interrogation.

"Answer my questions honestly. I'll ask you one more time. What's your name?" Usopp paused a bit at her stare. He then introduced himself.

I smiled at Usopp. He's come a long way. To be able to be willing to interrogate a threat like Robin was a good start to his dream.

"My name is Nico Robin."

"Ok then Nico Robin. What is your occupation?"

"An archaeologist." I nodded at that. I remember she mentioned that she could read Poneglyphs. I gasped. I remembered some pirates had mentioned that Poneglyphs were important to becoming Pirate King.

If that's true, then Luffy needs her to stay in the crew.

Could we trust her?

"An archaeologist?" Usopp questioned.

"I come from a long line of archaeologists. After I became an archaeologist, I became a criminal. That was when I was 8. Since then, I've spent the past 20 years hiding from the world."

Usopp nodded and looked at me. He gave me a thumbsup to say as if the information I said about her before Little Garden made sense.

I shrugged.

He continued. "Since 8? How did you survive?"

"You're right. There's no way for a child to survive at sea. So, in the end, to protect myself and achieve my goal, I've chosen to follow various rogues." Nami and Zoro had listened to that part.

"Thanks to that, I've become good at doing things behind the scenes? I'm sure I'll help you guys."

"You seem so sure of yourself. What exactly are you good at?" asked Usopp.

Robin put her head on head and tilted. She said, "Assassination."

Usopp then screamed. "Luffy, I have considered this woman is dangerous!"

I sighed. Well Usopp, you have improved a lot. You interrogated an enemy for a while before she started saying something slightly scary.

"I'll take it from here." I put on my mask and replaced Usopp.

"Hello Fox. What's your real name?" She asked.

I'm doing the interrogation. "That's not important. Could you please tell me more about your dream?"

"Why should I when you won't tell me your real name?"

I groaned. Refusing to take the bait. "Maybe your dream might help. If you can read Poneglyphs, then you can help Luffy become Pirate King."

"Oh?" She seemed interested hearing that.

"She can?" everyone said, listening to that part.

"The location of the final island, Raftel, is found by finding 4 Road Poneglyphs. Raftel is where One Piece is." I had done business with some underlings for the Beast Pirates. They mentioned that piece of information to me.

Nami asked, "If it's determined by these 4 Road Poneglyphs, how come no one has found One Piece yet?"

"Because. No one has gathered all 4 yet. Even if they did, no one knows how to read the Poneglyphs. Well no one except you right Miss Nico Robin?" I said the last part a little sarcastically.

A slight pause."Yes. That is correct. I am the only one in this whole world who can read them."

"Not to mention, if they are found, they will be heavily protected." I looked at her.

Even though she was an enemy, she could be the only one who could direct Luffy to find One Piece. Then, it was up to Nami to navigate the way.

For the sake of my friends and their dreams, I will make a deal with whoever.

"Let me offer you a deal." I straightened up.

"I'm listening." She seemed to also pay attention.

"We help you find your Poneglyphs and protect you from the World Government; in return, when we find the Road Poneglyphs, you tell us the truth about how the four lead to Raftel. It does seem that we have very similar interests. Whether we trust each other is completely different." I took off my mask as I said that. I looked her in the eye to show her that I was serious about this.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "It appears we do. How do you know about these Road Poneglyphs? I've never heard about them nor how important they are."

"I'm from the New World. My previous job." I gave a curt reply.

"Right. Protecting the World Nobles." She reminisced.

"I never liked it." I gave her one look. She was way too similar to me.

She must have a dark past too.

The government must have a reason if she had a bounty at such a young age.

She then smiled. "Then, It appears we have a deal. Guess I don't have to worry about you kidnapping me anymore." I frowned at her but I still shook her hand. I stood up to leave. I saw her using her abilities to tickle Luffy and Chopper. She laughed at her antics.

Seeing this, Nami began speaking "I still remember you used to be the vice president of an evil organization. You can fool Luffy. But you can't fool Yuuto and me. If I see anything suspicious, I'll get rid of you."

I was happy to hear that Nami wasn't going to trust her so easily.

"Ok. I'll remember that. In that case, I'll keep these jewels for myself."

I heard running footsteps. "Wow, older sister. I really like you."

I shouldn't have mentioned a peace offering. I then saw Sanji walk by happily.

I groaned. He was hopeless from the beginning.

I turned to Zoro and Usopp. Usopp gave a determined look. Zoro said, "It seemed that we are the castle."

Usopp said. "I'm not going to be fooled by her. Those guys really need someone to take care of them."

I nodded.

"Hey Usopp." Luffy called out.

Usopp turned and started laughing. Luffy had hands as antlers. He joined in laughing.

"Guess it's just us two then Zoro."

"Yeah. We're surrounded by idiots."

"And a troublesome woman." I added.

Robin walked close to us. Zoro visibly flinched. "This is a nice change. Are they always this lively?"

Zoro and I both sighed. "Yes." we both responded.

"Really?" She then smiled.

I didn't trust that smile. It seemed fake. Plus, her track record was not very good.

I looked at Zoro and could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

"Anyways, we should get going. We have to escape from Hina right now."

"Wait we need to go pick up Vivi." Luffy called out.

Robin looked confused but then quickly replaced it with a serious look.

Well, she was going to get used to whatever our captain did.

* * *

We met Hina head on. Interestingly enough, she wasn't going to capture us immediately. I told Robin to hide herself down so that no one would know that she joined us. Also, it would have been awkward for her to see Vivi.

Hina was going to offer Luffy a position of the Schibukai. Crocodile lost his position, and Luffy was offered to replace it.

Luffy didn't know what it meant. Everyone tried explaining it to him, but he didn't seem to get it.

I told him that he would have to take orders from the World Government if he accepted. That was the important part.

He said no to that which was what I expected.

When Hina heard that, she announced that our new bounties would be revealed once she reports back to base and they decide. Assuming we could escape.

The marines had us trapped. Mr. 2 came up with the plan of distracting them while we went to go see if Vivi joined us.

As we made it to the east coast, I couldn't help but wonder if she would join us. I wanted her to join us, but it would have been weird. Not just me but also having Robin on the ship. It was complicated to say the least.

We made it to the coast, and we heard Vivi speak.

* * *

 **Vivi POV**

I heard my speech start as me and Carue ran toward the ship. We saw the Going Merry, but we were far away off.

"I recently went on an adventure."

What an adventure it was with the Strawhats. I smiled at that.

"It was an adventure over deep oceans and dark tides in search of 'hope'."

That was reflecting how I first started out. In my country's moment of crisis, I needed to investigate Baroque Works.

"The ocean that I faced was vast. It is full of unbelievable islands with creatures I had never seen."

I smiled faintly at Little Garden. It was fun exploring that island with Luffy.

"And sounds of waves. Sometimes, they're peaceful as if trying to cover the troubles around us."

I pause a bit thinking about Yuuto.

"Sometimes, they're violent, as if laughing at the week."

I angrily remembered Crocodile.

"But in the darkness and storms, I found a tiny ship. That ship pushed me forward. That ship always found a way out of the darkness. It was as if it danced, sailing across the seas.""

That was Luffy telling me that I could count on the entire crew for them.

I wonder how they are right now.

"In the end, even though it seems like it's drifting, they can only go forward in time against the wind. In the end, it will raise its flag and say. 'Look there is light!' With that said, …."

Carue and I approached the ship. "Everyone!", I yelled happily. That got their attention.

Luffy was happy. "I knew she'd come."

I saw everyone else waving at me.

I was conflicted; everyone else was excited.

"I'm here to say good-bye." I then paused.

Everyone started crying a bit.

"I can't go with you all. Thank you all for what you have done for me!" I looked at everyone of them when I had said that.

To Luffy for being the hero.

To Zoro for his strength and bravery.

To Nami for becoming my closest friend.

To Usopp for making me laugh.

To Sanji for getting the eternal log post and saving me from the okama.

To Chopper for being so cute to play with.

I continued. "Even though I still want to go with you, right now, …"

I looked at Yuuto when I said that.

To Yuuto who gave me hope again.

I really did want to come along with them for adventure.

"But I really love this country."

I love this country more than I loved Yuuto.

"So I can't come along." I was about to start crying.

My country needed me more than I needed the Strawhats.

Luffy nodded understanding.

"Even though, I want to stay here." I started crying. "But if there is one day where we meet each other, will you take me as a friend?" I said the last part hopefully. I didn't care if I said this in front of the marines. This was important to me.

I wanted to make sure about our friendship.

Luffy was about to yell something, but Nami stopped him.

What was going on?

Nami was whispering something. Luffy heard her and started becoming sad. Slowly, all of them had their backs turned on me.

I started crying.

This hurt more than being rejected by Yuuto. Just as I was about to fall down, Carue quacked pointing at them.

They raised their left hand, and I saw the cross mark on their arms.

Crying tears of joy, Carue and I raised our left hands out, showing the mark of our eternal friendship, as we said good-bye to them. **[** **4** **]**

* * *

AN:

[1] I know I didn't write a lot of interactions between Yuuto and the crew, but you have to consider a lot of things happen in the part I'm not writing about. It's similar to how we don't see every interaction in the crew.

I would say that Yuuto's really good friends with Nami and Zoro the most. He's good friends with Nami because he actually helps Nami in trying Luffy to be responsible. Zoro and Yuuto are really similar in terms of seriousness. Yuuto helps inspire Usopp with some of his inventions. Chopper looks up to Yuuto like how he looks up to Zoro. Sanji and Yuuto have a mutual respect for one another. Yuuto is a mentor to Luffy.

[2] I made the decision for my OC to reject to Vivi's confession because it would be awkward for a 26 year old to be in love with a 16 year old. Also keep in mind, that my OC met her when she was 10. This was planned from the beginning.

Asking a couple oh when did you guys first meet, and you answer when I was 20, she was 10, is very awkward.

If my OC was 30 and he met Vivi when she was 20, I would have probably been ok with writing the relationship.

Sorry to the people who may have wanted the relationship to happen, but coming from the reasons I addressed didn't feel right.

Whether my OC has another love interest, I'm keeping that to myself.

[3] An ironic statement that my OC has no idea that it will come true. It will be the start of a beautiful friendship.

It's a rough start because of the situation, but after Enies Lobby, it's a beautiful friendship.

[4] Vivi not joining the crew

I made the decision very early when I was outlining my story. Sorry to the one who has been very vocal about it.

It's an important part of the story that she doesn't join the crew because of Reverie, and I'm waiting to see what Oda has in store for Reverie. There is some foreshadowing and it involves our favorite princess. Read the manga if you haven't already. I have a couple ideas/theories already.

Her joining the pirate crew and then being able to go to Reverie would make zero sense because she would have gotten a bounty with the Strawhats. That would also cause more problems with Alabasta seeing that the Neferati family is considered as traitors already.

She will be part of the story again later once we get there. She was definitely fun to write. I look forward to writing when Vivi meets the crew (assuming I get there of course).

Anyways, I'm looking forward to adding Robin's POV. I look forward to writing the interactions between her, the rest of the crew, and Yuuto. Especially with the awkward past.

Here's hoping I do a great job with Skypeia and then Water 7. Both arcs are important with Robin.

Pay attention to Robin's development throughout the next arc. It is meant to set up Water 7.

Please leave a review about any parts you liked or disliked.


	13. Chapter 13 Jaya and Montblanc

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Jaya and Montblanc Cricket

 **Robin POV**

I just woke up in the middle of the night. It's only been about a day since I started sailing this Straw hat crew.

I sighed. I was in a foreign environment, and I couldn't sleep peacefully.

The plan was to join them and abandon them whenever I needed to or when they would throw me away.

However, they were definitely not like any group I joined.

This crew was definitely the smallest pirate group ever with 7 people. I didn't count myself because the swordsman and the bodyguard made it very clear that I wasn't going to be one of them.

Not that I could blame them of course. I started as an enemy to them.

This group of 7 pirates had just successfully helped defend a princess, who they just met about 2 weeks ago, from a Shichibukai. A Shichibukai, who I helped, and with an organization with at least hundreds of followers that took 4 years of planning to overthrow her kingdom.

They never gave up fighting for her.

Why did I join this crew?

I rejected their offer the first time because I didn't think I needed them for survival.

However, once I heard Hina was patrolling the area I knew I needed some help.

Maybe I was hoping they would fight for me too against the World Government like they did for the princess.

Still, this crew was different. They actually knew what my dream was, and it seemed that my dream was important for the captain's. I didn't have to hide about it.

Maybe this was different.

I looked at Miss Navigator who was still sleeping peacefully. Nami I believe she was called. I looked at her jealously.

Able to sleep so peacefully with good friends.

I never had that.

I remember what the Strawhats did for Miss Wednesday a couple hours ago. Even though I was below the deck, I had my ears and eyes on the deck.

I wanted to know if they were going to talk about me behind my back.

Imagine my surprise when they didn't.

I was expecting the crew planning on betraying me when I was away. When Mr. Swordsman and Mr. Bodyguard said they didn't trust me, I was expecting them to warn the rest of the crew about me when I went inside.

They never did. Nor did they even talk about me.

As I continued spying on them, I saw them about to pick up Miss Wednesday.

I grimaced. That was going to be awkward if she was going to join. She'd want to kill me.

I watched the event happen. I couldn't help but feel jealousy and anger when I saw them raise their hand. The doctor had whispered that it was their symbol of friendship.

I was always alone.

I never had friends.

" _Listen to me Robin! There isn't anyone born to live in this world alone! One day you'll find true friends...friends who'll stand by you no matter what!_ _"_

I smiled at my old friend Saul's memory. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

I was always going to be Nico Robin, the Devil Child. I was probably going to die all by myself.

Deciding that going back to sleep was pointless, I decided to go to the kitchen and drink some coffee. It seemed that it was about 5 AM.

As I walked my way around, I heard some noises. I tensed up ready to defend myself. I used my abilities and saw the swordsman up already training in an empty room.

I dismissed my earlier tension and continued walking to the kitchen.

I remember actually trying to recruit the swordsman, Zoro, two years ago. He had caught my attention when he was already making a name for himself when he was 17.

I was the one who found him while reading through the newspapers about his skills and sent Mr. 7 to him.

Imagine my surprise when Mr. 7 was killed. He left a note on Mr. 7 saying that he should be boss. Now, the swordsman defeated Mr. 1.

It says a lot about the captain if Mr. Swordsman who doesn't like to follow someone follows this one instead.

* * *

A couple hours later

 **Robin POV**

Out on the deck, I was enjoying the weather. Miss Navigator was making sure we went the right way. Swordsman, Long Nose, and Cook were focused on steering the ship.

I watched as the captain, the doctor, and Fox were training together on the deck. It seemed that the doctor was explaining something to the captain and Fox.

It seemed that Fox had an injury that hindered his fighting abilities.

Very impressive, considering he forced Crocodile to be serious.

I then noticed something falling from the sky. It looked like wood.

"It's not rain." said the cook.

"Is it hail?" asked the sniper.

As it fell closer to the water, it became clear that it was a huge galleon.

How did it get up there? I looked up. Could it be?

A coffin landed on top of the ship. I immediately began looking at it.

"Ahh!" I heard Miss Navigator scream. "The Log Post. It's pointing up."

A sky island. I heard about these islands in the sky. What ancient civilization must be there.

"It must have pointed to a sky island." I said while opening the coffin and analyzing the remains.

Fascinating. This skull seems to have been about 200 years ago.

"I've never been to a sky island. I never had to go there." said the Fox.

The swordsman looking over me asked, "What did you find?"

After I finished putting the skull back together, "This hole." I pointed to the top. "is not natural. It comes from a surgery technique called trepanation. Isn't that right doctor?"

I looked at him. He was a really cute reindeer hiding the wrong way. He came a little closer to get a better look at the skull.

"Yes. It was used to cure some head diseases in the past." confirmed the doctor.

"You can find that out just by looking at that." asked the navigator.

I nodded. I am an archaeologist after all. We need more information on how to get to Sky Island.

The Rio Poneglyph could be there.

Some of the crew members went to go salvage. I stayed behind with some others. I noticed when I saw Fox didn't go with them.

It seemed that either the swordsman or Fox would always stay and watch over me, making sure I didn't do anything to hurt the crew.

I was used to people's suspicions.

While they were salvaging the ship, another ship came over. Their flag said "Masira Pirates."

They look like locals here. They must have another pose. I'll see if I can sneak on there and steal it.

They claimed the were salvagers and went to salvage the ship. I went to steal their log pose.

When I came back, the Fox looked worried and tried to tell the crew members to come back up. Our crew members could beat them.

That's when I saw an enormous turtle emerge and seemed to eat the sunken ship. We were all shocked except Fox.

How did Fox know about it?

"They were swallowed up by that thing right?" I asked much to the my crew members' terror. Only Fox nodded.

All of a sudden it became dark.

I heard a cry from the other ship. "Oh no. Sky turning to night. This is a sign for monsters."

Luckily, my new crew members got out of the turtle's mouth and got on the ship. They all carried bags.

Captain exclaimed. "I found treasure!" to the joy of our navigator.

However, we had bigger problems to face. I pointed to the sky and saw giant shadows.

We quickly sailed away.

When we sailed far way, Fox said, "There's no presence with those shadows. They were not really there like illusions."

I considered what he meant by that. I noticed Miss Navigator had been disappointed by the treasure.

I wanted to giggle at that but I needed to be careful. If I giggled, that showed I was getting too close to the crew. I showed her the eternal log pose I had gotten.

She smiled and appreciated that there was now at least another person to help maintain the crew.

I couldn't help but be confused about that. I had never been appreciated like that before. **[1]**

* * *

 **An hour later**

 **Chopper POV**

We had all been acting as look outs to search for the next destination.

Jaya.

Nami mentioned that Jaya was a place crawling with pirates. Other than that, there wasn't anything interesting at Jaya.

I was busy eating when I looked at the sky and saw three birds.

Must be nice to fly in this nice weather.

Suddenly, those three birds fall to the ground.

I could have sworn I saw a ball hit them.

As I inspected them, I pulled out a bullet.

"They were shot! Look, this bullet. Judging from the way they fell, the bullet must have come from the front of the ship." I pointed out.

Nami reasoned, "Shooting from an island that we can't even see yet. Chopper that's impossible."

"But I was watching them." I rebutted.

"If that is true, what kind of equipment and skill does that shooter have? They must have been hit by luck." Usopp wondered.

It seemed that no one believed me. I wasn't making this up.

Yuuto came over to look at the birds.

"Chopper I believe you. Notice where the bullet hit each bird. That can't be an accident."

I looked more closely. I pulled a bullet from each of their neck.

"Guys, the bullets are found in each of their neck." Giving a look of gratitude to Yuuto.

To shoot in the neck area was an instant kill.

Everyone else tensed up seeing that the shots must have been on purpose.

Zoro looked around. "I can't even see an island."

"I can't even sense the island. Usopp, you think you can shoot from that distance?" Yuuto asked.

"No." he said weakly.

It seemed where we were going was filled with strong people. I started shaking. Could we beat them?

Yuuto looked at him and me. "Don't worry about it right now. Think of it as a future goal. It comes with experience and training. Besides, we will protect each other. That's why we train."

Usopp nodded. I couldn't help but admire Yuuto. He seemed to know what to say to comfort us.

If I couldn't beat my opponents, my comrades would beat them up. **[2]**

* * *

 **Jaya**

 **Zoro POV**

When we landed, I couldn't help but be excited. I could feel that this town had a lot of fighters.

I was itching to fight a swordsman to see if I could cut through his sword.

Luffy and I immediately got off the boat. I looked at Luffy; he seemed to have thought the same thing.

Nami then ran out. She made us promise not to fight with others in this city.

I wouldn't have made that promise, but Luffy did.

I had to follow whatever my captain did.

As we walked across town, we saw a suspicious old man on an old horse. He seemed really sick and was about to die. He then offered apples.

I ignored them but imagine my surprise when I saw Luffy accept them.

It seemed like a bad idea to eat them.

I look back and heard some explosions. Someone cried out, "There was a weird man who gave them apples. After eating those apples, they exploded."

Shoot.

I immediately draw out my sword. My idiot captain was eating them.

"What are you trying to pull here?" I was going to kill him.

"Don't worry. If he took the wrong one, he would have died on the first bite." The sick man walked away. Sure enough, I saw my captain was still alive.

Luffy is an extraordinarily lucky man to survive these death encounters.

This entire town is trouble.

As we continued our way, we heard about some fighting champion.

"Champion?" me and Luffy said at the same time.

Nami told us to remember our promise.

Stupid captain making me promise to that witch.

We walked around the town some more. We passed by a hotel and walked into a bar.

Nami was going to get information while Luffy was going to eat some cherry pies. I was going to watch out for trouble.

How does Yuuto keep an eye out?

"Hey mister." Luffy and the customer next to him cried out simultaneously.

"This cherry pie tastes so bad/good! I'm gonna die." They both said simultaneously.

I paid more attention to the man next to him. He seemed strong.

Luffy and the customer then made eye contact, engaging in a tense stare.

It seemed that Luffy found a rival for food.

They then drank the soda and said, "This soda tastes so good/bad!" at the same time.

I was a little shocked. It's as if he's Luffy's opposite.

They then entered a competition about who could eat more. Soon enough, they were about to engage in a fight.

"What's your problem?" the customer said.

"Luffy, you promised, not to get in a fight. Remember." Nami pointed out.

Luffy sat down.

"You are a pirate?" he asked. That sounded like trouble.

"Yeah that's right." My captain fired back.

"What's your bounty?"

"30 million." I smiled. Luffy had forgotten he was going to get a higher bounty now. We had no idea what though.

"It's not possible. You're lying." I wanted to cut him. He implied my captain was weak.

The bar owner gave him his 50 cherry pies and asked him to leave. As he left, another pirate walked in the door. Everyone in the bar seemed to know called him, "Bellamy."

Bellamy asked, "Is there a kid with a straw hat here?"

I grimaced. I wasn't getting a good feeling.

"Seems like someone is looking for you." I drank the beer.

Nami said, "Isn't Bellamy the name of the pirate who owned the hotel?"

Luffy asked, "What is it?"

Bellamy walked over. He seemed that he was pretending to be nice. He ordered Luffy a drink.

When Luffy took a sip, Bellamy's hand was behind him. He threw Luffy to the counter.

"Luffy." I took out my sword, ready to slice him.

"Zoro! Wait! We haven't found any info yet." Nami pleaded.

"Shut up! Someone attacked us! I'm just defending." I countered back. I was ready to go full out.

Luffy looked ready to fight.

"Wait." I looked at Nami. "Hey Mister! We want to go to sky island! Do you know anything about this!"

It was silent at first, and then I heard laughter. I looked and saw the entire bar laughing.

Bellamy laughed. "I can't believe this. I was gonna test you to see if I'd let you join my crew of the new era. But you're just a crazy dreamer."

I took offense to that. You can mock my dream but to mock my crew's dreams is a different story.

I looked at Luffy, but he didn't motion me to attack.

"Listen up!" Bellamy continued. "The pirate's dream era is over! The fools who go after their dream cannot notice what's right in front of them! In this era of the sea, the ones that do not have real strength are killed by their imagination."

"This guy lived his dream very admirable." He said mockingly. "Haha. What a joke."

"Whenever I see idiots who chase their dream, it makes my stomach cringe." He then threw a glass at Luffy. Luffy took the hit.

I wasn't happy with this, but Luffy never signaled me to take him on. Luffy was the type of guy who only fought if you threatened his friend or if you got in a way of his dream. This Bellamy guy wasn't. He was just mocking dreams.

I sighed. I put my sword back in its sheath.

"Hey Bellamy! The paying customers want to see a show."

"Luffy, Zoro. Forget the promise and kick his ass." Nami said.

Too late Nami. We aren't going to fight them knowing Luffy.

"Zoro, Whatever you do. Don't fight against them."

Just like I expected. Looking at Bellamy's and everyone else's power, this wasn't going to hurt that much.

I was going to follow the captain's orders.

I got thrown around with Luffy. I crashed into a wall and got thrown into the floor. They punched, kicked, kneed, and elbowed me. However, they weren't able to break me. [3]

After they stopped, Nami dragged us both outside in a hurry to go back to the Going Merry.

"Sky island does exist!"

She dropped both of us to talk to the one who said that.

"You're from before." Me and Luffy stood up and saw the customer Luffy was arguing about.

There's something off about this guy.

"Why are you still angry? Those two won the battle."

"Huh!" Nami asked confused.

"The way you yelled at the was great too woman! The "New Age" those guys were babbling about, it's all bullshit."

We looked at him.

"Saying that the age for pirates who dream is over." He laughed. He yelled, "A man's dream will never die. Right!" He looked at Luffy when he said that.

"Let them laugh! Anyone who wants to be a first rate man will encounter a time when there is no reason to fight back."

I started walking toward the direction where the Going Merry was and said, "Let's go."

Luffy nodded and Nami followed.

Nami asked, "He probably knows something about sky island."

"Dunno but it's not he." Luffy said.

"It's them. I think" I said as I walked away. His personality changed.

It seems that we'll meet that man again. [4]

* * *

Going Merry

 **Zoro POV**

"You guys! What's with those wounds?" Usopp cried out worried about us.

"Are you ok Nami?" Sanji asked.

Stupid cook!

"Doctor! Doctor!" Chopper cried out.

"You're the doctor. Go give them some first aid."

I looked around. "Where's Yuuto?" I also noticed Robin wasn't around but I didn't mention her. I didn't really want her in the crew.

I had a feeling that Yuuto was probably just following Robin around, making sure she didn't do anything to hurt the crew.

I feel that Yuuto trusted her less than I did.

And that's saying something.

The rest of the crew shook their head.

"Sounds like a big fight started. Did something happen?" speak of the devil.

"Robin-chan, where did you go?"

I looked at her general direction. She looked the same, but she was also wearing a purple cowboy hat with a purple jacket. I saw Yuuto carrying some bags.

"I went to go buy some clothes and found some more information. Fox just followed me. " She said nonchalantly.

Please don't tell me Yuuto fell under her spell too now. My crew was too trusting.

As Yuuto got closer, he just said, "I just offered to carry her bags. She did get us information on how to get to Sky Island." I noticed he still showed a look of distrust. I felt relieved.

However, we both admitted that she did get us the information we needed once we heard the story.

It seemed that we needed to go meet to this Montblanc guy.

* * *

Timeskip

 **Sanji POV**

We set sail to meet this Montblanc Cricket guy. Something about his name sounded familiar.

The beautiful Robin told us about how we would find more answers about Sky Island.

As we approached his house, that looked like a poster board, I couldn't help but say, "A man who dreams... more like a man who wants attention."

As we docked, Luffy and Yuuto entered the house. Nami-swan looked outside and found a book.

"A picture book. 'Kings of Liars, Norland.'"

I smiled at that. That was a great adventure book reading when I was young. Who would have thought it would be here?

Usopp said, "That sounds like an interesting book!"

I smiled. Maybe Usopp was related to him. Their noses were quite similar.

"It brings back memories. I used to read it a lot."

"You know about this book?" Nami questioned. "Its says it was published in North Blue."

I paused a little bit. I didn't need to tell Nami where I came from exactly. "Yeah. I was born in North Blue. Didn't I tell you guys?"

"First time you said anything about it. This entire time I thought you were from East Blue." said Usopp as a matter of fact.

I didn't really see a need to tell them about my past. How I used to be part of the Germa kingdom.

Sometimes, I wonder if Yuuto knew about it. He might have met them before.

Nah. I won't mention it to him.

"I grew up in East Blue. But this story is pretty popular in North Blue. People say it's a children story but the guy Norland did exist."

I took the book from Nami's hand.

This book did serve as a good inspiration to go travel the seas and see the places that he's been on.

Even if they were lies, they were a good story.

I narrated the story to them. Luffy came outside close to the shore. Yuuto followed, keeping him out of the water.

Soon enough, a diver appeared from the water.

"Montblanc Cricket, I presume." Yuuto asked.

"Yes. Are you after the gold?" He immediately went into a fighting stance.

"No. We're interested in sky island." He said, although after a few moments, he took a taekwondo stance to defend himself.

Cricket looked at him and started laughing. "I don't know if it exists. But I knew a man who said it does. He was known as Norland."

He then sat on the ground, seeing our intent was about the story.

"He was my great great great grandfather."

Right. It's Montblanc Norland. That makes sense why I thought his name was familiar.

"The whole Montblanc family was shamed. Even now we are badmouthed, however no one hates him. Because he was an honest man."

I couldn't help but notice his anger. Cricket continued about how the island that Norland found was somehow now in the sea.

"So you're attempting to prove his innocence." Usopp asked.

"No." He threw something at him.

"Just for being his descendent, one gets teased by strangers. Do you understand how I feel? My entire childhood was mocked just because of him. Countless members of my family tried to correct it, but none of them returned."

I couldn't help but feel empathy at that. It was like my previous family situation.

Being born in the Germa Kingdom, I was expected to become a war prince. I was lucky to run away.

Now, a man was trying to get away from his family history.

Cricket continued. "I ran away from home and became a pirate. However, fate had for me that I would come here, and be reach this island where the gold was. It was ironic I hated Norland the most."

I was hoping I could run away from my blood family for a while. I hope they never find me with the Strawhats.

Then again, even if they found me, they wouldn't want me to join them again.

I was the disgrace. I became angry at those thoughts and listened back to the conversation.

Luffy continued. "I just want to go to Sky Island!"

He handed a book to Nami. "If you want to go there, I can help you out."

I smiled. This sounded good. [5]

* * *

After Dinner

 **Yuuto POV**

After eating dinner, Cricket gave a journal to us. Robin started reading it immediately in the corner.

Nami and I would probably be the only ones who would read it. Nami however was preoccupied with the potential gold we could grab.

Cricket then mentioned how we need a South Bird to find the Knockup Stream. The South Bird will always want to point south.

I looked at Zoro really quickly and then stopped. Zoro's sense of direction was worse than an animal's.

I wasn't the only one who made the connection. Luffy thought the same and voiced it.

I then tried using my Observation Haki to see if I could find it. There were too many animals; however I noticed something.

More people were coming.

I asked Cricket, "Are we expecting company?"

"No. Why?"

"We have more people coming. There seems to be about 40 of them. I can take all of them on." They were nothing like Crocodile.

"What? How do you know?" Cricket cried out. I noticed Robin became more attentive.

I wasn't going to let Robin know just yet. I still didn't trust her.

"Nevermind that. You guys go on ahead. Cricket, Masira, Shoujou, and I can take care of them."

Chopper asked, "You sure? What about your left leg?"

"I'll be fine. It's been improving right?" Chopper nodded.

The rest of my crew and Robin split into groups. Zoro paired up with Robin. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji were another group. That left Luffy and Chopper together. I shared a look with Zoro seeing that we still didn't trust Robin.

As they left, we waited 10 minutes for them to arrive. We had seen two pirate flags. It was Donquixote Doflamingo's jolly Roger with another flag.

It was the Bellamy pirates, I had read about them in the newspaper. They were under Doflamingo. Their leader would give me no trouble with his Bane Bane fruit. He become a spring person.

I grimaced remember how I had helped Doflamingo with his Underworld business. I also remember how angry Nami was about them how they attacked Luffy and Zoro. Luffy claimed it was ok. They only laughed at dreams.

Still, to attack my captain and my friend for that.

"Leave the leader to me. It's personal." I said.

"You know who they are?" Cricket asked.

"I know of them." I put on my mask and my gloves.

Soon enough, they arrived,

"Well, well. What do we have here?" taunted Bellamy.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cricket.

"We heard about you Cricket. I'm here to rob your gold. They call me Bellamy the Hyena."

At that, the others I was with put on a fighting stance.

"He's mine. Remember." I reminded them.

He looked at me. "Who are you?"

"I'm a member of the Straw-hat crew. You beat up my captain and my first mate." I threatened.

A crew member of his laughed. "Those are the guys we beat up at the bar Captain Bellamy."

"Oh. So what. You're a foolish dreamer too."

I paused at that. What really was my dream?

On one hand, it was to help my friends accomplish their dream.

However, more recently, another dream started being born. As more of my past came back little by little, anew dream started forming, becoming stronger and stronger.

I looked back at him. "So what if I am."

"Then you deserve to die!" He then leaped at me.

I sidestepped, and he missed me completely.

He grinned. "Seems like you're stronger than your captain and your first mate. Why do you follow them?"

I reminisced a little. Remembering how Luffy survived Loguetown. His will to fulfill his dream.

His crew was lucky to have dreams for themselves.

I never had the opportunity to have a dream for myself. Even my first dream I declared was to help my friends, really wasn't for myself.

I smiled now realizing my other dream.

I needed to be able to forgive myself of what I had done when I was working for the World Nobles and the Underworld.

I finally answered back, "First. You're wrong. I'm not stronger than them. Second, it's because they gave me a reason to have a dream."

Bellamy looked. "Then you deserve to be beaten. Let me show you my ultimate attack Spring Hopper."

I noticed that he started bouncing faster and faster. He used the trees, the ground, and the house, to go faster.

I could see where he was going better and was able to predict what he was going to do even without Observation Haki.

He had to attack me close up. In that moment, I will punch him.

Right when I sensed him, I punched him to the ground. Out of reflex, I also kneed him as he was going down in the gut. However, I didn't need to do that.

He was already unconscious from my first punch. It was instinct for my body to knee him.

As he laid down in the ground, his crew members were in shock.

One of them yelled, "Get up Bellamy. You're the Super Rookie with 55 million."

Another one shouted. "You can't lose to a pirate with no known bounty!"

"Yeah, especially when you already beat their weak captain and first mate."

Angry at the insults thrown to my friends, I yelled, "My captain and my first mate are not weak! In some ways, they're stronger than me."

Some of the pirate crew left, running away from what just happened.

I looked at the crew that remained and casually threw Bellamy toward them.

They took their leader, got on their boat, and left.

Cricket thanked me for defending his gold.

I nodded. What I had just done also was for my crew's sake and my sake considering how much I did for the Underworld . **[6]**

* * *

AN

[1] This was annoying to write, but I feel that Robin would purposely avoid using their names even in her mind to prevent her from feeling close to them. I feel that in the beginning, she did not think she would stay in the crew for a long time.

Just a reminder about this. Skypeia will be in Robin's POV a lot. This is important for her character development.

[2] This is important for Chopper's development later on. It will come up again in when they are at Skypeia.

[3]

Remember that Luffy didn't fight Bellamy similar to how Shanks didn't fight Higuma. It's for the reasons that Zoro accurately stated. Also, there's trust that Luffy has in Zoro. He believed that Zoro can handle it.

I believe if Bellamy attacked other crew members, then Luffy would have been angry about it and fought back

[4]

For Blackbeard, I personally believe that he somehow is able to hide another person in his body, but we'll see what is actually revealed before I get there. It depends on whether I finish writing the story too early or I don't want to write how the Strawhats fight the Blackbeard pirates.

[5]

I saw some parallels with Montblanc's story and Sanji's story too. Thought it would be fun this way. Sanji will be focused a lot later in the story but I will give him some development.

Also, Yuuto actually has met the Germa family. Reread chapter 8.

The ones who bullied Vivi were meant to be Sanji's brothers. The sister mentioned was Reiju.

[6]

If you remember, before the Grandline, Yuuto didn't declare a real dream in the previous chapter. Because Yuuto is my character, I feel that I need to give him some development.

More of Yuuto's past and development will be explored in the future arcs [not Skypeia]. I hope it will connect some things related to the plot.

Also expect slower updates from now on. I think maybe 2-3 updates a week now.

Please leave a review telling me about what you liked or disliked specifically.


	14. Chapter 14 Skypiea

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece.

* * *

Skypiea

Time skip 8 Hours Later

At Knock Up stream

 **Yuuto POV**

Just before we were get to Sky Island, I sensed a very strong aura. It was similar to the force I had felt back at Mock Town. It was comparable to Crocodile's.

As the whirlpool dissipated, we heard laughing.

"Zoro. That voice" Luffy said.

"Yeah?"

Luffy and Zoro did meet him. I'm glad they didn't get into a fight with them.

"I finally met you Straw Hat Luffy!" cried a man. That must be the leader who has the intimidating aura. I also looked at his crew members, trying to memorize how they looked like. Their auras were slightly stronger than ours.

They might be our rivals in the future.

"Those guys are from Mocktown." Nami cried.

"I've come for your 120 million bounty!"

120 million?

"120 million! What are you talking about?" Luffy shouted.

"There's now a 120 million bounty for your head. Along with your friends. Pirate Hunter Zoro – 80 million and Scheming Fox – 50 million."

I shook my head. That might give me some trouble. I would need to see if I can get a newspaper to see what the bounties were for officially. I had suspicions. My theories were that Luffy for defeating Crocodile in a fight, Zoro for beating Daz Bones and for what he had done at Whiskey Peak, and mine for past crimes, accomplice at Whiskey Peak, and for surviving a fight with Crocodile. **[** **1** **]**

This could be a problem. Total our crew was worth 250 million.

That's not counting Robin's bounty.

Usopp looked at them with his binoculars confirming what he said.

"What about me? There's one for me right?" asked Sanji.

"Nope."

"Look closer." Sanji sounded dejected.

You sure you want a bounty Sanji? It's more trouble than it's worth.

Just as their boat approached us, the Knock Up stream blew the Going Merry up. Luckily, the stream broke their raft.

The leader cried out, "You'll see us again. Remember the Blackbeard pirates!"

I froze a bit. Blackbeard was who Ace was looking for. My instinct was right to pay attention to him now.

Was there a way for us to contact Ace? He should know that Blackbeard was a lot stronger now.

* * *

As we got higher, it got harder to breathe.

This could make for some good training. I was used to this because I had trained on the mountains, but I wasn't sure about the crew.

I saw everyone else except Robin and Chopper having trouble breathing. Chopper made sense because he lived on a mountain. Robin was a surprise.

"Hey look!" I pointed out. In front of us were a bunch of clouds.

"How are we sailing on clouds?" Nami asked.

Luffy said, "Of course we can sail on top of clouds!"

We gave him a look.

Usopp, excited by the clouds, proclaimed, "I'm gonna take a swim." He then dove off. He had forgotten to attach a grappling hook to himself in case there was trouble.

Sanji shook his head, "He should be careful. We don't know much about this place."

Wait!

"We're in the sky right? What would be the bottom of the sky?" I suddenly questioned.

Luffy immediately yelped and extended his arm.

"I can't see if I keep extending my arm." He cried out.

I was going to use my Haki to help him.

"I'll take care of that." I looked at Robin in surprise when she said that.

She then closed her eyes.

She cared about the crew?

I sensed what happened. It seemed that on Luffy's arm, there was a little of Robin's presence. Suddenly, it extended and grabbed Usopp.

I was guessing that she could put her eyes on Luffy's and then used her powers to grab Usopp.

I guess she could use her powers to reproduce any part of her body anywhere. That might include...

I stopped continuing my thoughts. I was supposed to be careful of Robin not admiring her body or wondering how it felt like.

Luffy then pulled up Usopp.

I did give Robin a stare of gratitude. She nodded. I still mouthed I'm not trusting her.

Just so we were clear about where we stood.

Even if she saved someone, we did not know much about her.

Suddenly, I noticed a presence coming close to us. I looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, they were feeling exhausted from the high elevation.

A man appeared and tried jumping on the ship. I kicked him just as he as landing.

I noticed he was armed. As he fell, I quickly got him in a armlock position and disarmed him.

However, I was feeling tired too because of the lack of oxygen so he got out of the position. He saw the other crew members ready to fight and ran, leaving his weapons behind.

"Sorry guys. I was feeling tired. I'm having trouble breathing." I said.

"It's not your fault. Oxygen is scarce here." Robin said.

Suddenly, a knight landed and asked, "I saw you fight the Shandian. Are you citizens of the blue sea?"

We tensed up, ready to fight another intruder. "I came here to help you guys." he continued.

* * *

Time Skip

 **Robin POV**

Gan Fall, the knight,had just left. When he left, Fox said, "A different currency? A different sea? What else can be different in sky island?"

I think I figured what he meant. It seemed like this was going to be a whole new world.

I wonder what history I can uncover here.

The doctor asked, "What do you mean?"

I elaborated. "He didn't really tell us anything useful. We don't know how to get up. What Fox means is that we seem to have a different civilization waiting ahead."

I was inwardly excited at this aspect.

Fox nodded. "We should try to be careful here. I don't have any idea about who we might even fight. We don't know their technology." He began inspecting the bazooka.

Sniper and the cook nodded.

The cook said, "Don't forget the different food and the different women."

I noticed Fox and Swordsman sweatdropped.

Gan Fall looked like a normal man to me. It would be safe to assume that women would probably look the same.

Our ship continued sailing and we approached Heaven's Gate.

An old woman came out and seemed to have taken a picture of us. "If you want to go up, each person must pay a 1 billion extol entrance fee. That's the law."

My eyes narrowed at that. If we forced our way in, then it would be illegal.

Miss Navigator asked, "What if we don't have money?"

"You can still go up." The woman said.

"But then we would break the law." Fox said what I was thinking.

"True." the guard admitted.

"Well, we're going either way." the captain said.

"Ok." our ship started moving up.

I was wondering whether I should bind the woman from reporting us but didn't.

Fox sighed. "Guys. I know we're pirates but remember that we just became criminals just because we didn't pay a fee."

Sniper and Doctor looked scared at that prospect. Miss Navigator said, "But that's way too expensive. We only have 50,000 berris left."

"Why are we so poor? I'm the captain so I'll say something. You guys should think about how you spend our money."

Swordsman, Navigator, Cook, and Fox yelled, "It all goes toward feeding you!"

I wanted to giggle, but I remained pokerface at the interaction.

This crew was actually really nice.

Fox sighed. "Alright. Well hopefully, that woman didn't report us." He paused. "She's the guard. Of course, she reported us. Just once, I wanted to relax a bit. Let's just relax and pretend we're not the trespassers. If they find us, we'll take care of them."

We all nodded.

As our ship finished going up, we saw the sky island.

Most of the crew had already started running on the shore. The only ones who remained on the ship were me, swordsman, navigator, and Fox. I had changed to yellow sleeveless shirt and looser purple pants. The others were getting ready to dock.

"Anyway, this scenery is amazing. It's like in a dream." The swordsman said.

"Seeing their happy faces, you can't help it." Fox said; he pointed to the crew. After he helped dropped the anchor, he jumped off the ship.

He was right. I was starting to feel happy in this dream.

Normally, I would be scared about feeling comfortable. It would lower my guard.

However, this crew seemed to give me a new hope.

I needed to distract my thoughts.

"Isn't Skypiea the name of the map we found from the ship?"

"Yes." Miss Navigator said. She soon jumped off the ship.

It was just me and the swordsman on the ship.

"What about you?" I looked at the scenery and the rest of the crew having fun.

He looked surprised. He did seem that he was deciding between keeping an eye on me or also walking on sky island.

"I'll go too." He conceded.

I saw the crew running around and splashing water around each other. I reflected on the entire adventure we just had. Jaya. Cricket. South Bird. Knock up stream. It was the most fun I ever had in the last 20 years.

I opened up a little. "I never thought that sailing and landing could be so adventurous too."

Maybe, this crew would also be a home to me.

Zoro and I then joined them. The sand or cloud was really comfortable to walk on.

We soon met a local named Conis. Her fox was really cute. Yuuto, after hearing his name from the other crew mates, played with it a little.

Conis' father, Pagaya, came by the way of the waver. Luffy tried but crashed. He fell in the water, and it seemed that he sank. Luckily, Sanji came to rescue him. Chopper tried to but failed.

Nami tried the waver and was successful. She then started driving away. [2]

We then walked to their homes and they showed us their dials. We didn't have dials back in the Grand Line.

Yuuto and Usopp looked more interested in dials than the rest of us. However, I did see some uses of the dials. Conis explained there was a breath dial, lamp dial, video dial, scent storing dial, and other types.

When Nami hadn't returned, Conis and Pagaya became scared. They talked about maybe she entered the Upper Yard.

Where "God" lives.

* * *

At Upper Yard

 **Nami POV**

Yuuto was right.

We really do need to be careful. We have dangerous people after us. I need to go back to my crew and warn them.

We need to get out of Sky Island fast. I looked at the log post. It didn't seem that we could leave until the log post resets.

Maybe we could hide.

I couldn't call them with the Den Den mushi. The den den mushi didn't work in the sky, so I needed to hurry back and tell them.

Please don't get in trouble guys.

As I come closer, I saw guys in white uniforms talking to Luffy.

Please don't do something stupid Luffy. Don't hurt them Luffy.

"Please wait Luffy! Don't oppose those men!" I cried out.

Luffy was the type to get us all in trouble.

Usopp yelled back. "Don't oppose them? Nami, can we afford to pay an entry fee of 7 million berris?"

I breathed.

I rammed the one who was talking to Luffy with the waver. "That's too damn expensive!" I yelled angrily.

Money was important after all.

I was surprised with what I had done.

Normally, Luffy would be the one who would do that.

I look back and saw my crew members in shock. The only one who wasn't in shock was Yuuto who just facepalmed.

Maybe Luffy was rubbing off of us like he told me.

Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto ran forward and started fighting the other men. They beat them quickly.

"Guys. We need to set sail!"

Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp decided to get supplies with Conis. Everyone else would go on the ship and prepare.

Yuuto asked me what I saw, and I told him everything I could think of. Yuuto thinks of a way to get out.

Soon enough, our ship started moving by itself. We were heading back toward where the Upper Yard!

Shoot. That place was scary with the lightning coming down that I couldn't predict.

* * *

AN:

[1] So you should have noticed I gave them a raise in bounty compared to canon. That's because Zoro had defeated Mr. 1 in a much better shape compared to canon. Because of that, that means he's stronger in the government's eyes.

Luffy getting a raise is because it took 2 fights to beat Crocodile.

Yuuto gets a bounty for actually giving Crocodile a fight and then surviving.

[2] Notice that Robin now mentally calls them by their real name.

I wanted to use this moment in the manga to show that she begins to trust the Strawhats internally. This is in chapter 239.

She still physically calls them by their real name however. I personally feel that at this moment she actually begins to open to the idea of liking the crew.

Skypeia to me is an interesting story because it is not connected with the blue seas, so everything feel different. I also wanted to get straight to the action. Expect me to skip a lot of story telling here.

I do believe that this arc will play a later role in the future. I do not see the connection now.

Please leave a review of something specific that you liked or didn't like. It is quite encouraging to see what people may like or disliked.


	15. Chapter 15 Upper Yard Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

* * *

Upper Yard Part 1

Sacrificial Altar

 **Chopper POV**

I was in shock watching Yuuto and Zoro were trying to swim ashore. They were fighting sky sharks.

They were so strong. Yuuto won and went back to the altar, but it looked like Zoro might get eaten.

"He's not coming up!" cried Nami.

Robin said morbidly, "If he was, the cloud would be turning red."

Zoro then appeared and knocked out the sky shark he was fighting.

"There's at least 20 of them, Zoro. By the time we beat all of them, we're going to get tired." Yuuto said. He was panting.

I don't know if he was feeling tired from his leg or from the high elevation.

"Well let's keep trying." Zoro stubbornly said. He looked like he was in better shape.

"What if an enemy comes and attacks us after that?" Yuuto countered. There was Yuuto who would think before he fought.

"Damnit. We can't do nothing." Zoro said angrily.

"Agreed. Let me think." Yuuto said. "It's annoying that we can't call Luffy and them here. Our mushis don't work."

Nami had told us that the mushis do not work. Yuuto said it was probably because they were not accustomed to being in high elevation. I trusted Yuuto's judgment. He seemed to have done a lot of planning like this before.

Every time he told me stories about his bodyguard missions, he would mention how much planning he did. He would also tell me what he thought in those situations.

I really liked those stories because he always included me by asking me what I would do in those situations. It made me feel special.

Now, it seemed that we were in one of his stories for real.

Currently, we were on top of this sacrificial altar. The bottom of our ship was in bad shape. Swimming or sailing was out of the question.

"Can we get to shore?" asked Yuuto. He looked around looking. I also looked around.

"Looks like we can use that vine?" Zoro pointed at it. He grabbed it.

"Would you mind if I join you?" Robin asked.

"Eh, ok. But don't get in my way!" Zoro said.

"Eh. Robin's going?" Nami asked.

"Take a look around. This altar is at least 1000 years old. Plus if we find some gems or treasures, we can use them to repair our ship." She said.

I look at Nami. Her eyes became beri signs. "I'm going too." She said excited at this.

I knew Nami didn't like to be in danger, but money seemed to be important. The people on the crew warned me how much she loves money.

Was I going to be here alone? Yuuto was probably going to explore too.

"I'll stay here. I need to make sure my left leg doesn't act up again. It hasn't for a while, but I don't want to risk it." Yuuto said.

Phew! At least Yuuto's with me. Maybe we can pass the time by him telling me a story.

The three of them swung on the vines and made it to the other side.

"Yuuto! Chopper! We leave the ship to you guys!" Zoro ordered. I saluted to him.

Yuuto and I were going to protect this ship! Just like in Yuuto's stories how he would protect people.

"Please take care!" cried out Robin. I waved to them bye.

"Since Zoro and Robin are with Nami, she'll be ok. I didn't go because I was scared. It's cool to have such courage." I was in awe with my brave crew members. I said out loud, telling Yuuto.

Maybe he could say something encouraging. I looked at him.

He had fallen asleep.

Surprisingly, I didn't mind. Sleep was a good way to recover especially because of his nerve damage. He had been sleeping more. "Anyways, I have work to do. Leaving me with Yuuto to fix the ship in a dangerous place." I said out loud. I looked at Yuuto, realizing something.

Shoot. I'm the one that's in most danger!

Well actually, I can wake him up when I need to. He's just resting. He's not a heavy sleeper like Zoro.

Zoro could sleep through anything. Yuuto wasn't a light sleeper, but he was always awake when there was actual danger nearby.

Besides, I'm not waking him up to to fix a ship.

Yuuto ends up hitting his fingers somehow. He can use a knife for cooking, but he can't hammer anything.

It's not like anything scary will happen while Yuuto was sleeping here.

I'll just grab the whistle the nice man left just in case.

I then heard something land. I turned and saw some crazy pilot with a scary sharp lance.

"Yuuto!" I cried out scared.

Yuuto woke up. "Who's there?" He saw the intruder and got ready.

"My name is Shura. I'm one of the four priests under God Enel. You are the sacrifces."

"What do you mean?" Yuuto asked.

"For the crime of running away, someone must pay with their life."

Is it because Zoro, Nami, and Robin went away?

Curse you Zoro for putting us in this situation!

"I see." Yuuto tried attacking but Shura dodged.

Shura then tried to hit him with his lance. Yuuto dodged but out came fire. Thankfully, the fire didn't hit the ship.

This was bad. If the fire hit the ship, we would have a hard time repairing it.

I know Yuuto was trying to analyze his fighting style, biding his time.

Yuuto then tried a fake punch and an actual roundhouse kick. Shura didn't react to the fake punch but dodged the roundhouse kick.

Yuuto practiced that move so many times in front of me; that punch comes close enough that it should have caused someone who sees it for the first time to instinctively move out the way.

"So people here have Observation Haki." Yuuto said.

I froze. Yuuto demonstrated to me what observation Haki did. He looked so cool dodging attacks while wearing a blindfold.

That's why Shura didn't bother dodging it. He knew Yuuto wasn't going to hit him with that fake attack.

"I don't know what you mean by observation Haki, but we have mantra that predicts your moves," the scary pilot said.

Yuuto nodded. "It's probably the same thing."

I was trying to remember what Yuuto said about how to counter observation Haki.

Speed and something else.

Yuuto then waited. Shura started attacking with his lance. Yuuto dodged most of them but he got hit a couple times.

Wait. The times he got hit, he was protecting the ship. If Yuuto let those attacks through, the fire would have gotten to the ship.

Damn it. If only I was stronger. Yuuto was busy protecting both me and the ship.

I was busy watching, too scared to fight this strong opponent.

Wait a minute. I can't be a hindrance in the future. My crew was counting on me too.

I could fight too.

I quickly morphed to heavy point and tried to sneak behind Shura.

Yuuto noticed. However, Shura turned behind just when I got to him.

Thankfully, Yuuto punched him right when he turned around.

"Chopper." He stated. "We need to attack together. He can't dodge both of us. You lead the attack. I'll follow. Also, we need to get rid of the lance."

I nodded. He wanted me to lead the attack so that while Shura was trying to dodge, Yuuto would actually adjust and hit him. We had done something similar before for training.

Yuuto had better reflexes than me, so he can respond faster.

"Hmm. You guys are annoying. Luckily, I have-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he had to dodge my first punch. Luckily, Yuuto followed through and hit him.

Even though I wasn't hitting him, I knew I was slightly helping. I smiled a little.

I promise Yuuto that I will train harder so that I can be the one actually hurting the enemy.

After a couple punches I threw, Yuuto was suddenly able to disarm his lance. He quickly grabbed it and put it close to him.

However, suddenly, we had to dodge fire. That fire destroyed the mast. We looked at each confused. Yuuto took his lance.

We saw where it came from. It was his bird.

His bird can breathe fire!

Yuuto looked more closely. "He can't actually breathe fire. He has something that helps him breath fire. Chopper throw me toward the bird. I'll take care of it. Stall Shura. He won't hurt you too bad now"

I nodded, trusting his judgement. In my heavy point, I threw him to the bird, which he got on. I look at Shura who was looking frustrated. He tried punching me, but he was slower now. His punches also didn't hurt that much.

I defended myself and was able to get a punch in.

Maybe his observation Haki wore off?

Soon enough, the bird came back. Yuuto got off holding something while Shura rode on the bird and ran away.

Yuuto took out a dial, panting. "I'm really curious about these dials. I've never seen anything like them before."

I looked at him confused. He was really tired. His injury was acting up?

"Chopper. I've seen a lot of technology before, but I've never seen anything like this. It's so simple yet so advanced. We still have his lance. I hope Usopp takes a look at it too. Maybe we can use them when we go back to the Grand Line."

I nodded. Maybe these dials can help us.

I took a closer look at him. It seemed that his left leg hadn't bothered him after all.

That's good. The therapy was helping him.

"I think I did a lot of fighting today. Should I rest or stretch right now?"

"Rest first. You're done fighting for today." He grimaced at that but followed my orders. We didn't want his left leg to get worse. He sat down.

Someone else landed. It was Gan Fall, the sky knight.

I forgot I had whistled earlier.

We told Gan Fall the situation. He told us the history of Skypeia and about the dials we got. I looked over Yuuto in the meantime.

* * *

Earlier

Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji vs Satori

 **Sanji POV**

We started sailing through Upper Yard trying to get our friends back. Usopp soon discovered calling by Den Den Mushis didn't work here. There were a bunch of monsters and traps, but Luffy and I made quick work of them.

We made it to a gate, but it led to 4 different doors.

Trial of Balls

Trial of String

Trial of Iron

Trial of Swamp.

To me, all these trials were really trials of love. I had to face some obstacle blocking me to get to Nami and Robin.

Luffy chose trial of Balls because it sounded the most fun.

As we paddled along, we saw lots of giant cloud balls.

We had chosen well. I smiled. Even Usopp can handle this. This wasn't dangerous at all.

Luffy and Usopp started tossing a cloud ball like a beach volleyball to each other. It was nice and soft.

Suddenly, a snake appeared out of the ball. I looked back.

Luffy knocked the ball far away.

Usopp saw another cloud ball coming. "Sanji!" he warned. "Kick it far away."

Unfortunately when I kicked it, the ball exploded.

Nevermind, these giant cloud balls are actually dangerous. We don't know what was going to happen next.

"What's going on?" Usopp questioned.

"These are called 'Surprise Clouds'. Welcome to my Trial of Balls. I am Satori." said an unfamiliar voice. He looked like an enemy.

When he started coming closer, Luffy got ready to punch him.

I heard the enemy say stretching.

Is he predicting what Luffy was about to do?

He dodged Luffy's attack and slapped him.

Luffy was blown out. That slap didn't seem very strong.

He's stronger than he looks.

I then got ready to kick him.

"An upper kick right kick " Satori called out.

Wait. This is like deja vu. It's like the time Yuuto demonstrated his Observation Haki to me. This time, I'm frustrated because now I'm was fighting for my life and Nami's and Robin's.

Soon enough, he slapped me away and I hit the ground.

Most of the force didn't come from him. It must be those dials.

As I got up, I tried to remember what Yuuto warned us about.

"This is a power given only to those who practice the art- mantra." Satori said.

Maybe it just has a different name here. Yuuto warned us that those in the New World would have this power.

What did Yuuto say was a counter?

Faster and something else.

I guess it's time to see if I have mastered Soru.

I look back at the ship and saw him about to slap Usopp away too. I cried out, "Usopp!"

Too late. Usopp was already blasted to the ground as well. No one was on the ship.

We all got on the forest ground. Satori then taunted about how we needed to catch our boat before it's gone.

In that case, Luffy and I should fight him; Usopp's the best one suited to try and get on the ship.

What happened next was utter chaos.

I kept seeing balls coming closer together and all sorts of stuff coming out. Stuff like birds, crabs, arrows, food, rope, frying pan, etc. Luckily, there was no explosion. Just random stuff being spit out.

I noticed Usopp running and jumping from tree to tree.

I would just protect Usopp from Satori while he gets on the ship.

He soon saw the boat and fired his grappling hook.

I smiled. I forgot how much that grappling hook helped us when we were trying to stop the bomb back at Alabasta.

I quickly reminded Usopp. "That's pretty good. Watch for the orbs."

"I won't fail. I'm the king of the forest!" Usopp bragged.

Save that talk after you get on the boat. Remember, we're trying to save the girls.

As Usopp got closer to the boat, he jumped off and landed on it.

I smiled. Good. If you had failed, I was going to beat you for not taking this seriously.

I noticed Satori coming closer to Usopp. Thankfully, Usopp noticed and quickly fired something at him.

Unfortunately, a cloud ball blocked his shot but exploded near Satori.

Wait! If we don't know what our attack does, observation Haki is also useless.

These balls could help us. We don't know for sure what happens when we hit them. I smirked.

It also seemed that Usopp had the same idea I had. He quickly started firing at all the cloud balls he could see.

Even though he was causing more chaos and explosions, I noticed that Satori was panicking. He didn't know what to do.

Things were dropping. Anvils, explosions, pianos, arrows, snakes, etc. Satori was busy trying to dodge them.

Usopp made sure he fired at the clouds close to him so me and Luffy could get him.

Satori then landed on another ball. Usopp was getting ready to fire at the ball, but Luffy held him down on top of him.

Thankfully, Usopp stopped in time; he didn't want to risk hurting Luffy.

Still, good job Usopp so we can catch up.

Seeing the opportunity, I used Soru to the nearest tree.

As I got there, I didn't feel as tired nor did I go somewhere else as I did when I first practiced.

"Well then meatball man. You kept talking about trial. I don't care what we have to go through. All I know is that there are two helpless women waiting my rescue. In other words, " I paused dramatically.

I noticed Usopp facepalming. Of course, it all comes back to women. Women are worth fighting for!

"This is a trial of love!" I suddenly appeared next to Satori with my Soru again.

Collier!

I knocked him out with one kick.

"Oy Usopp." I wanted to compliment him. He had been doing a lot. "Good job using his own weapon against him."

"It's no problem for the Great Usopp! I was remembering what Yuuto said about Observation Haki. He can't predict if the attacks are random. Seems like you mastered Soru." Usopp responded. I nodded at that.

"Yuuto also said we needed to be faster for Observation Haki to useless." I stated what I remembered.

Usopp agreed.

"Guys! Let's hurry and save our friends." Luffy said.

Usopp then used hooked the boat and let his grappling hook fall. "Hurry. Find the rope and grab on."

"Sanji, I'll pull us to the rope." Luffy stretched grabbing me. Luffy grabbed the rope. I look up top and saw that Usopp was slowly trying to pull the rope up.

However, Luffy then shot up and all three of us hit each other in the heads.

"It's all good." Usopp cried weakly with a large bump on his head.

"Next time, I'll just stretch my arms to grab the boat instead." Luffy cried in pain.

These idiots. I'm going to beat them up next time. I kept my thought to myself.

We drifted toward the exit with a large bruise forming on each of our heads.

* * *

Reunited

 **Chopper POV**

"Oi Chopper! Yuuto! Where are you?" I was inside the Going Merry checking up on Yuuto. He was just stretching on the ground. I told Yuuto that I would go outside while he continued.

"What happened?" I saw Zoro answer. I shrank at his question afraid of being yelled at by him. Even though Zoro never yelled at me, he was definitely someone you don't want to be angry at you.

I gulped and looked at the Going Merry. To be honest, I thought iit looked worse than it did when they left.

It was that stupid guy who used that fire lance to burn it around.

"Nothing. Me and Yuuto took care of it."

Nami yelled encouragingly. "I understand. Be strong!"

I sniffed the air. I smelled Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji. I pointed. "Look it's the Going Merry!" I heard them shout.

As we regrouped, Yuuto came out to explain what had happened to the group.

I saw Usopp stare in shock. He was looking at the missing mast.

I felt bad. Usopp really loved this ship, and he always talked about the one who gave it to him. I was definitely going to get yelled at by Usopp. I started bracing myself.

"Usopp. I'm sorry. Me and Yuuto were fighting hard. But they burned a bunch of things." I braced myself ready for Usopp's anger.

"Are your wounds ok?" Usopp asked.

I froze. I saw his eyes. He was more concerned about me.

"Eh?"

"A lance that burns stuff? That's one tough opponent. Good thing you and Yuuto didn't get burned. Haha. I'm sure you guys gave him a good beating. Besides, we could always repair the ship."

I watched Usopp carefully.

On one hand, he did care about us more than the ship. On the other hand, he was still slightly frustrated about the ship.

He must really care about the pretty lady from his village who gave us this ship.

Still, the fact that he asked about us was also really touching.

I quickly walked to edge of the ship. "I will become a dependable man!" I yelled with fire in my being.

In this crew, I want to be someone that can be counted on.

* * *

Camping

 **Robin POV**

I don't understand why we had to enter into enemy territory to have a campfire.

We could have had a campfire on the altar.

Then again, it was safer to put fire away from the ship.

It only seemed that my crew only wanted to have fun.

"Let's review what we know before we start. First, we can't call each other with Den Den Mushis." Yuuto said.

"There are 4 priests and one God. We took out 2 of them. There's also the raiders." Sanji said.

"No. We took out one of them. The one me and Chopper fought escaped. We might see him again. So there's 3 priests still. The raiders are fighting the priests and God for their land back." Yuuto said. He and Chopper mentioned that Gan Fall talked to them more about this land's history.

"They all seem to have Observation Haki" Usopp stated. We except Zoro, Nami, and I all nodded at that. I didn't know what this Observation Haki was, but it sounded really strong.

"Remember that they have to be calm, faster, and the attack has to be predicted to use it well." Yuuto said. He seemed the most experienced one with it.

"This land that we're on is part of Jaya. It's actually the island that Cricket was trying to find. It was blasted into the sky by the knockup stream" Nami said. I nodded confirming the theory.

"Then that means there's gold." Luffy connected immediately. "I've been waiting for an adventure like this."

Nami smiled and winked at him. "Yup. If you're interested, that makes things easier."

Interesting. That looked a little flirtatious.

Usopp looked scared. "Did you forget about the raiders?"

"The God will be angry" Chopper warned.

"Hehe. Sounds interesting." I spoke. Those two were like the babies of the group. Still, I couldn't help but think that this sense of danger, excitement, and adventure was actually fun.

"With treasure up for grab, we won't stay quiet." said Sanji.

"With plenty of enemies. This is a game of survival." Zoro said.

Those two looked eager to fight.

"Let's also grab some dials while we're at it." Yuuto suggested. "Gold is worth more, but dials don't exist in the Grand Line."

He was focused. But that's to be expected of him.

We then started the campfire. We all went to go look for stuff. I found crystallized salt. It was my first experience camping. It was kind of fun.

As we ate, I couldn't help but notice how peaceful I was. Here, I was able to eat in peace with my former enemies. I even began to call them by their names mentally.

As we finished, I warned, "It's getting late. If we don't put out the fire we're not using, we will expose our position to our enemy." Pity that it had to end.

I was surprised to hear Luffy respond saying, "Stupid. Did you hear that Usopp! She wanted to put out the fire." He then looked at Usopp, pointing at me.

Was I missing something?

"Don't say it like that. Robin's had a sheltered life so there's no way she wouldn't have known."

I don't know why. But that hurt and comforted me at the same time. It was nice being defended by Usopp, but having a sheltered life did hurt.

"Know what?" I asked. I didn't see what I was missing.

"Lighting a campfire is obvious." They both said at the same time. They then laughed as if it was the most obvious thing.

I looked at Yuuto and Nami who looked like they agreed with what I said. Nami looked like she was about to argue. Yuuto just shrugged as if he knew he couldn't convince them.

Zoro and Sanji however already grabbed a giant woodpile. They seemed that they agreed with Luffy and Usopp.

"Not you too!" yelled Nami.

I looked at Yuuto. It seemed that he expected this to happen, but he wasn't saying anything. He just gave up.

"Don't worry Nami-san! There are beasts who are afraid of fire!" Sanji then lit up a torch, and I saw many eyes behind him.

"Behind you!" Nami cried out in fear.

However, when we started the campfire, it turned out the beasts' eyes were friendly and they all started dancing. Even Nami danced with them.

I laughed as I watched the entire crew dance. Only me and Zoro didn't dance around. Yuuto had already went to sleep.

I saw Zoro drinking his beer. He looked at me.

"What?" I asked

"You're not going to join them?" He continued drinking.

It wasn't that I didn't know how to dance. I needed to feel safe. "Someone needs to keep watch." I said.

"I got it. You can go ahead." He pointed.

I was tempted to take his offer. However, I couldn't let my guard down. "Are they always this carefree? Even in this unknown territory?"

I remember hearing about God's judgment. It seemed he could control lightning. What a terrifying power.

He smiled as if the dangers didn't exist. "Yeah."

It must be nice to always be this carefree. Maybe I could be just as carefree one day.

But for now, I would keep watch with Zoro. We didn't talk for the rest of the night, watching the crew dance before I went to sleep.

* * *

AN:

So that concludes Upper Yard Part 1. I am focusing on Chopper and Robin because I feel that this arc for them was important development.

Sanji gets some development also. He mastered Soru from Yuuto's notes back in chapter 2!

I hope you guys are noticing the Strawhats interactions among each other. They are fun to write even if I keep it short. That's one of the reasons what's great about One Piece; it's the camaraderie they have.

A question asked was what was the bounty last chapter. When I looked, I felt that I wrote it in the story. Just for clarification, I upped Luffy's and Zoro's compared to canon.

120 million for Luffy

80 million for Zoro

50 million for Yuuto

79 million for Robin (but she wasn't mentioned by the Blackbeard pirates)

The reason why I upped them is just to show that I am making them stronger here. I implied that Zoro might have unlocked armament Haki earlier. We'll see if that actually happened though.

I am also going to skip the background/history of Skypiea because that didn't really change.

Please leave a review! Feel free to include some tips, what you liked, disliked, or questions.


	16. Chapter 16 Upper Yard Part 2

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own One Piece. Just this story.

* * *

Upper Yard Part 2

* * *

The campfire night

 **Usopp POV**

I woke up in the middle of the night. I was worried about the Going Merry. I tried to wake up Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto but they wouldn't go with me.

"Don't be a baby Usopp." told Zoro as he went back to sleep.

"Don't worry about the ship." responded Sanji.

"Just let me go back to sleep" murmured Yuuto. For a bodyguard, Yuuto sure sleeps a lot. But then, he could be trying to rest his left leg.

As I approached the Going Merry, I heard hammering.

"What? Who's there?"

I looked closer and saw a ghost. I was afraid, but this ghost was repairing the Going Merry.

Unfortunately, I tripped and hit my head on a tree. That knocked me out.

* * *

That morning

I woke up, being poked at.

I saw Zoro poking at me with his sword.

"You told me this morning you were taking a leak. And then you fell asleep here." Zoro looked at me.

"That's not what I said. I wanted to make sure the Going Merry was safe." annoyed at that. I then remembered what happened.

"Zoro. You gotta believe. When I went to check the Going Merry, someone, or something was fixing the Going Merry!" I exclaimed.

It was a ghost.

I saw Zoro's looks of disbelief. I was used to this because of how many lies I told.

Zoro questioned. "Are you sure that it wasn't a dream?"

I was telling the truth this time. I swear. I understand that I told a lot of lies before, but I'm not lying about this.

I grabbed his arm and pointed. "Let's look at the ship!"

When we both came to look at the ship, we saw the Going Merry with a mast. It also looked like it did before when we first sailed on it back at my home village.

Zoro looked at the ship. "Well. The ship is repaired."

"See. It wasn't a dream after all."

The other crew members came. "Even the mast was re-attached."

Sanji marveled. "Yeah. Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but they weren't very good at it."

"Still a better job than me." Yuuto pointed out.

We all agreed with that. Yuuto was the worst carpenter ever.

"Still. There are some good people in this world." Luffy said.

"Considering, where we are, who could it have been?" Zoro looked around.

I've been pondering it.

Going Merry. Who fixed you last night?

Especially with how it originally looked like.

Could it be...?

Nami soon gathered us up. We were going to split into teams. Yuuto and Nami had decided on the teams last night. One team to get the treasure and the other team to get the ship away and meet them there.

Team One had Luffy, Zoro, Robin, and Chopper. Chopper actually volunteered to go, so they added him. Luffy wanted to go the most. Robin's ability was useful to grab lots of gold. Zoro just wanted to fight people.

Team Two had me, Nami, Sanji, and Yuuto. I felt assured knowing that we had two strong guys ready to protect the Merry.

I was surprised that Nami wasn't part of Team One, but we did need her navigation skills. She was also scared about actually going.

I reasoned the idea. The three of us I suppose were meant to be her bodyguards. Yuuto could scout the place and tell us if there's trouble. Sanji and Yuuto were going to be the main firepower in our group.

* * *

Team 1

 **Zoro POV**

As we separated from the group, I began arguing with my captain.

I was going to lead the way. I knew where to go. It was obvious that we needed to go right.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, Zoro? West is this way!" Luffy shouted.

"Did you not hear?" How could Luffy forget such an important detail. "We are supposed to grab the gold from the skull's right eye. This is the right." I raise my right hand. "So we go this way!" I finished shouting.

"Dumbass!"

Ok. Maybe I wasn't done shouting.

I looked and saw Chopper and Robin stay quiet as if this was an awkward situation.

I look at them. Come on. Help me out here.

Chopper stayed quiet and looked at Robin. Robin looked annoyed. She said, "We're supposed to go south. Not west. Not right. South first."

"Oh." Luffy and I said at the exact same time.

As we walked along, I noticed the atmosphere between all of us.

Luffy was the same. Happy to go on this adventure.

Chopper started out being nervous, but after walking quite a bit he felt comfortable.

"I was getting worried that the forest would be a dangerous place. But now that I think about it, it's really nothing to worry about!" He exclaimed.

I encouraged him, "Chopper, you're brave today." Maybe then he could see there was nothing to worry about.

"Yup." He agreed with that.

I continued. I wanted a little action. "It's a little sad. Nothing came at us when we went into the forest. Didn't meet a priest either. So I can relate."

I looked at our newest crew member to see if she would say anything.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was slowly trusting her. Robin helped us a lot.

She got the stupid South Bird. She helped rescue Usopp. She helped watch over Nami. She figured out a lot of things about this island that makes sense.

I also knew that she could fight. I didn't have to worry about her like I did with Nami.

Still, she was a woman.

With nice eyes. I added, but that's not important.

"What a strange group. Do they want something to happen badly?" she finally asked out loud. That paused my thoughts.

Suddenly, as if it heard her, a snake appeared.

Luffy was happy at this. I rushed forward to protect Chopper.

"I'll cut you in half." My swords were drawn out ready.

It was just a snake. How hard can it be to cut it?

As it rushed toward us, all of us scattered. I tried cutting it with my sword, but I couldn't cut it. Its skin was actually a lot tougher than it looked

Cursing, I stopped. I looked at its mouth.

I noticed that it dripped poison.

We quickly scattered and separated.

Good news, I memorized the map already. I could make it back to the spot.

Bad news, when I made it back to the spot where we were, none of my crewmates were with me.

My crewmates got lost without me again.

Guess, it was up to me to get all the gold by myself.

This crew would be hopeless without me. [1 ]

* * *

With Team 2

 **Usopp POV**

As we were sailing along under my orders of course, we talked about what we would do with the gold once we got it.

Sanji said that he would show it off to women.

Typical. He either needed a girlfriend or to get laid.

Yuuto said that he wasn't sure what to do with it.

He'd probably put it in his bank account. He's not a flashy guy and spend the money impractically. He would really consider it.

Nami said that she was going to save it all and bathe in once she got enough.

I could see Nami doing that. She really loved money. Probably more than us.

Me?

I was going to spend the money on helping repair the Merry.

Yuuto looked at me and said that he would chip in. I appreciated the gesture. Sanji and Nami didn't make the offer.

I could understand why Nami didn't want to chip in, she loves money too much. Sanji, however, I guess didn't see the value in the ship.

All of a sudden, Yuuto looked worried and told us to get ready.

Nami also looked scared and said the weather felt different.

Sanji and I quickly got ready.

All of a sudden, lightning struck the ship.

Out came a man with long ear lobes.

Sanji immediately tried kicking him.

Yuuto cried out, "Sanji, don't!"

Sanji suddenly went down. Burnt to a crisp.

This guy was scary! Sanji went down and the guy didn't even touch him.

I checked to see how he was doing. I put my hand to his right to listen for a heart beat.

Shoot

"I can't feel a heart beat!" I exclaimed.

Nami told me. "You're checking the wrong place. His heart is on the left!"

I tried again.

Ok. There's a heart beat.

"What an idiot. Attacking me wasn't a good idea." the stranger said.

"Who are you?" Yuuto asked.

"You don't know who God is? I am God Enel!" He said haughtily.

Yuuto analyzed him and laughed.

Yuuto! Don't make God angry! Did you see what he did to Sanji?

Angered, Enel asked, "What's so funny?"

Yuuto stopped laughing. "Nothing. You'll see when you meet our captain." He then held a chuckle. He seemed to mouth the words, "This was going to be easy."

What's going to happen when Luffy meets him?

"Foolish. Laughing at God. Let me show you the punishment." He pointed at Yuuto, but Yuuto moved out of the way.

I didn't even see what Enel shot. I just heard an explosion that followed.

Shocked, Enel said. "No one's ever dodged my attacks." His eyes narrowed. "I didn't expect someone from the Blue Sea to have mantra."

"Mantra?" I wondered out loud.

Enel explained. "Man. The Blue Sea doesn't really know anything. Mantra is the power to know what's going to happen next."

So it's just observation Haki.

Enel looked at Yuuto. "You shouldn't have come here." He pointed at Yuuto. "You guys are now part of God's game."

"Game?" Yuuto asked.

"Right. Everyone is interested in this island. It has gold."

Shoot! He knows. Please don't tell me we are stealing God's gold.

"The prize for this game is all the gold. Unfortunately, I am a participant, so I must go." He turned around. He stopped as if he forgot something."Wait."

Suddenly, Yuuto then went down, also burned. He did try to move out the way from where he was standing before.

"That was for laughing at me."

He then disappeared.

Shoot! Now both Sanji and Yuuto were down, who was going to protect us?

A couple minutes later, We then saw two other people land. They looked like Satori.

"We came to avenge our brother!"

"What your brother! What are you talking about?" Nami asked.

I shook my head. I wasn't going to tell them about my involvement not without Sanji and Yuuto backing me up.

One of them said, "I'm Hotori."

"I'm Kotori. The oldest of the triplets, Satori, lost to you guys." They shouted.

Nami looked at me. It seemed that she rememmbered. Embarrassed, I shook my head. I motioned that it wasn't me. I even mouthed the words that I never met him in my life.

Nami didn't believe me.

Curse you Sanji and Luffy for mentioning Satori's name yesterday. I sighed.

This was kind of my mess. "Get behind me Nami. I'll take care of them." I tried to sound brave as I said that, but my legs shook.

Even though Nami was behind me, I could feel that she rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You get behind me you scaredy cat. " Nami moved in front of me and then whipped out her Clim-a-tact. "It's my turn to fight."

I looked at her.

She had a look that she was going to protect them now. That encouraged me.

We were both ones who would always want to be protected by others. But now, it's our turn to protect them.

"Alright. Well, remember that we have to figure out what dials they may use. Be careful of anything." I said. Nami nodded.

Nami and I were definitely going to beat these two. It's the least we can do for Sanji and Yuuto who protected us a lot.

Nami quickly started blowing cold air.

I nodded knowing what she was after. We had practiced this before. I then fired my Gunpowder Star into the cold air.

This would cause a fog to appear.

I forget the reasoning, but Nami knew. Just because I didn't know the reasoning, didn't mean I couldn't trust my nakama.

With the fog, our enemies couldn't see us. I start firing at them with my bullets. I could hit them successfully. It didn't seem they have mantra.

One of them came close to us, but I smiled.

Nami then knocked the one close to us in the eye with her climatact. With her staff behind him, she then swung it back to his left feet. He fell to the ground.

Nami had been practicing those bojutsu techniques. I've seen her use them on Luffy.

She then hit him in the stomach and in the head. He was then knocked out unconscious.

I was about to smile at Nami, but I noticed something.

The other twin came close to her and was about to cry out something.

Shoot!

I quickly pushed her away and took the incoming blow.

"Impact!" the enemy yelled.

I took the full blunt of the attack and hit the side of the ship. I tried to get up but couldn't move. It soon became black.

 **Nami POV**

I got up from the ground and replayed what just happened. I had beat one of them and then the other one appeared.

Shoot.

Usopp just took a hit for me. I looked at him. He was unconscious.

I wanted to scream in frustration, but I was still fighting.

Why did the guys always have to protect me? Was I too weak?

"You may have defeated Hotori! But you will die now! I won't ever forgive you!" Kotori shouted.

Well, this one has an impact dial. I can't let him get close to me.

What can I do?

It's not dry enough, so I can't make a mirage.

It'll take too long to set up thunderbolt tempo because he's angry at me.

Wait. I can go back to the fog we made. It'll probably last me for 10 seconds.

I quickly made some hot air bubbles as I ran back into the fog.

Once there, I started making some electric bubbles.

This was so slow. Luckily, he's not coming close because he can't see me.

I saw an electric cloud and all the fog disappeared. I then ducked, and it struck him.

"What? Why did God -"

I didn't let him finish as I struck him in the head. That knocked him out.

"That was for Usopp."

I looked around and brought the three of them inside ship.

When I got back out, I was going to toss the opponents out of the ship. What happened to them afterward wasn't my business. I made sure I took my opponents' gloves and dials.

Yuuto and Usopp mentioned they wanted to see them to see if they can be useful to us.

Maybe Usopp can upgrade my Climatact to be even faster. [2]

* * *

Chopper vs Gedatsu

 **Chopper POV**

I was in my reindeer form, jumping around scared by myself.

I was scared because of the war zone I was in.

The jungle I was in was peacful. Then I heard a bullet go past me. Soon other stuff followed.

Bombs, bullets, arrows had run past me.

Some were too close to me.

I need to get out of here. Eventually, it became calm.

I made it out and continued walking.

"Luffy, Zoro, Robin" I cried out. "Will I ever see them again?" I didn't want to be on sky island by myself.

Luffy was nice and funny to talk to. Zoro was so cool. Robin was mysterious but smart. I really enjoyed listening to her read to me.

"Am I doomed to die here alone? In the middle of nowhere?"

I then looked up to see where I was. I saw ruins.

Ruins were where Nami and Robin said the gold must be.

"Oh. I'm here! Wow! Maybe everyone is here!" I call out their names and tried sniffing around. Someone was here. I couldn't tell who because it was an unfamiliar scent.

I looked around every corner.

"Everyone it's me. It's Chopper!" I turned around and saw a scary man.

Wow. Why are his eyes white? Freaky.

I heard someone cry out. "Gedatsu-sama. Your eyes are not facing forward. The enemy is in front of you!"

Is he an idiot? Wait enemy in front of him?

I'm in front of him!

"Are you a priest?" I asked.

He gave me an intense look. I heard nothing.

"Gedatsu say it out loud. Not in your head."

He forgets the most basic stuff.

Finally, Gedatsu spoke "Watch your feet. You are in my territory."

Shoot! I look down at my feet. Nothing special.

"I've already planted the swamp cloud traps! Once you are trapped in them, you can't get out." He continued.

So I need to stay away from them.

"This is a trial of Swamp with 50% survival rate." Gedatsu said as he went down.

"You're the one sinking!" I yelled.

Maybe, I can win without fighting this idiot.

"Fool I am immune to this swamp! Cloud dial take flight!"

Yuuto told us to be careful about the dials. Smoke appeared, but I felt him rise. I then looked up.

He must be using dials to lift himself up.

When I beat him, I'll take them and show them to Yuuto!

Yuuto said that maybe we can use them too.

I want to fly too!

He then shot something from his hands.

"Though light as a cloud, it's actually a small swamp. Once you touch it, there is no way out!" He explained.

I saw the cloud hit someone else. He had been reminding Gedatsu of the most simplest stuff.

I saw him struggle. He can't take it off. His hands just go into the swamp. The more you struggle, the deeper you trap yourself.

I cannot be hit with the swamp.

I pulled the person trapped out. I helped him breathe by hitting his chest. He looked at Gedatsu angrily.

"Let's fight together!" I cried. He nodded.

"Die by my axe dial!" my new partner yelled to Gedatsu.

Gedatsu was suddenly next to us in a frightening speed

He said, "Jet punch!" and knocked out my new partner.

This is the power of a priest as I was about to faint.

If I don't run away, I'll die.

I started running away. However, he caught up to me.

He's forcing me to fight, but I don't want to fight.

At that thought, I remember what happened yesterday.

Didn't I promise I was going to be more dependable. My crew could depend on me.

I couldn't run away anymore. I needed to fight.

I didn't need to use brain point for this. Yuuto gave me good advice when he was stretching before.

 **Flashback**

Some time after I joined the crew

"Hey Chopper." Yuuto was on his back stretching.

"Yes?"

"I noticed that during rumble ball, you have a form called 'Brain Point' that lets you figure out the opponent's weaknesses."

I nodded.

"That seems kind of hard to do in battle. Also a waste of time." He then changed his stretching position.

I looked at him confused. "Do you think an opponent will let you scope in peace?"

I shook my head warily. He was right.

He paused stretching. He sat up and looked at me. " I try to figure out people's weaknesses while I'm fighting. In my head, I analyze what seems to be the cause of their strength or what reflexes they have. Try doing that while you're fighting or before the fight."

I nodded. He continued. "You're a doctor. I'm sure you can notice if they have a slight wound somewhere on their body. Focus on that part"

That was something Dr. Kureha could do immediately. Maybe I can do that as I get better.

"Anyways, this way you don't waste time of your three minutes figuring out what the weakness is. Maybe see if you can even transform into your other forms without using the rumble ball for more time." He smiled at me. He then laid on his back and continued stretching.

That seemed like a lofty goal, but he did speak something that sounded like a goal for me to improve.

 **End Flashback**

His flight. It must be related to his cloud dial. They seem to be near his feet.

Just as he was about to punch me, I changed to brain point and ducked. I then went to heavy point and grabbed one foot and took off his shoe.

Just as he was about to punch me, I morphed to jumping point and jumped in the air.

"The sky is my territory too! Don't you get it!" He then tried to fly.

Perfect.

He flew uncontrollably with one foot. As I descended, he did punch me. I then morphed to arm point.

 **Cutting Hoof Cross.**

I got him in his chest and knocked him. He landed face first in his swamp cloud.

I cheered. "I did it! I'm a pirate now!"

I then remember how interested Yuuto was in dials and grabbed his other shoe.

I picked up his other shoe and put them in my backpack.

I finally had a good story to tell!

Yuuto and Zoro were going to be so proud of me!

Luffy and Usopp were also going to be so amazed!

I smiled. I felt even more confident I should go find the gold! Then everyone will be really surprised!

I continued walking toward the ruins and the beanstalk. [3]

* * *

Robin vs Yama

 **Robin POV**

I had reached the ruins. I was fascinated.

Shandora.

The name of this civilization. I have never read about it.

Could this civilization could know the "untold history" that disappeared from the world?

I heard a crunching sound behind me.

Who's there? I turned back and saw a large man.

"What a cute lady we have here!"

I looked.

Suddenly, he was about to punch me. If I dodge, these ruins will be destroyed. Likewise, if I fight here, I'll probably destroy the ruins.

I started to run away from the ruins. I saw him jump and try to land.

Thankfully he missed but destroyed some of the ground.

I started running and noticed that I was running on some ancient text. He destroyed some of the ancient text.

He was about to jump again.

Veinte Fleur.

I had to take the force full on to protect the ancient ruins.

"When will you stop protecting a dead city like this?" He asked.

"You have no feeling of joy in honoring our ancestor's footprints." I threatened back.

"I do not care about the past."

Fool.

You cannot recover something like this so easily.

"Foolish people always say that."

"Do you know who I am?" He then continued attacking.

I can't kill him here or else he'll destroy the ruins when he struggles against my choke hold. I have to move out to the forest.

I saw an open clearing. Perfect.

I noticed that he had destroyed the ruins while chasing me.

He's going to pay.

"Are you done running away?"

"Yes." I took off my hat. " Even if you apologize, I won't forgive you."

"Really? You want to protect the ruins that much. These ruins aren't even yours."

"True. They don't belong to anyone. But." Eh what's the point in explaining to someone who doesn't care.

He then jumped in the air.

I used my abilities to grab him as he jumped.

Treinta Fleur.

He was heavy but I made him crash to a tree.

I let go my grip. He was still conscious and was about to use his dials.

I flipped them. He slammed to another tree.

I approached him carefully.

"The ruins you destroyed can't be recovered. Do you understand?" I looked at him.

"I do. " He tried to lie to me.

I then broke his fingers as I felt his fingers come close to me. I saw a cliff nearby.

I wonder how many bones he'll break when I drop him off.

Cien Fleur.

I then had my hands tumble him toward the cliff.

I made sure I kept a strong choke position.

Those choke positions Yuuto had in his book were useful. I was lucky to sneak a peak.

I heard a loud crash and checked on him. He was knocked out.

I put my hat back on. Now. Where could that bell be?

I continued my way to the ruins.

* * *

AN: That's a wrap. Next chapter. They're facing Ohm and then Enel.

[1] Reminder. This is Zoro.

Can Zoro get there by himself even with a compass and the southbird?

The answer is no. But Zoro would never admit that he's lost. It's supposed to be ironic.

[2] I liked writing the Nami/Usopp dynamic. They're like the little sibling duo who doesn't want to get into trouble or danger.

[3] I hope to develop Chopper to be more brave, strong, and independent.

Please leave a review saying something that you liked, disliked, or even advice about a particular part of the story. I do appreciate feedback.


	17. Chapter 17 Upper Yard Part 3

Disclaimer: I am getting little tired writing this.

I am tired of writing I don't own One Piece.

Oh. Sorry. I'm not tired of writing my story.

* * *

Upper Yard Part 3

 **Zoro POV**

20 minutes later since Robin's Fight

After that stupid bird dropped me, I found myself in the ruins.

I was also lucky that when I was falling, I caught a glimpse of Chopper and Robin.

I just needed to find them and meet up with them.

I'll ask how they got here without me once we meet up.

I guess they weren't as clueless as I thought.

However, there was still this gigantic snake chasing after me.

Soon after that, a giant dog and another man started attacking me. The man wore sunglasses and seemed like a swordsman.

Luckily for me, I was able to dodge their attacks. I smiled happy to fight a swordsman to improve my skill.

I then heard footsteps running.

"Zoro!"

I looked and saw Chopper running close to me. I smiled. Happy that he was ok by himself.

However, the swordsman then made his sword longer and attacked Chopper from a distance.

My eyes widened in shock. Chopper got hit and went down.

I ran toward him. He was still breathing. "Zoro... " He continued weakly. "I'm sorry for having my guard down."

"It's ok." I tried to comfort him. Chopper always seemed that he wanted to impress me. He didn't really need to impress me with strength. What he did as a doctor impressed me already.

"I beat a priest" He coughed out some blood. "Before this."

"That priest you beat must have been strong." I tried comforting him. "Stay here Chopper. I'll get the gold for us."

He soon lost consciousness, but I heard him breath slowly.

"Are you ready to avenge your friend you blue sea dweller?" asked the person who attacked him.

"No. I'm not fighting for reasons like that." I said as calmly as I could.

"Really. Oh how noble?" he taunted.

"But right now. I'm just a little pissed off." I glared at him. How could he attack a child?

I rushed at him, careful to dodge his sword that could extend. However, I got hit from the back area close to my hip.

"How?" I asked.

"You citizens of the blue sea know nothing. My katana is made of iron cloud. The blade emerges from a dial inside the hilt and follows the target wherever they go."

I see. It's like a whip.

I can see why Yuuto and Usopp are really interested in these dials. It's similar to how I'm interested in my swords. These dials can do a lot.

I wasn't interested in having dials in my sword, but I can see the allure of having them.

I was going to use swords and not rely on certain tricks. That was my kendo.

Suddenly, I heard a waver. I look and saw Nami carrying a child. Some soldiers were about to attack them.

Me, Gan Fall, and some raider defended them. I looked at them and saw Gan Fall using his bird to lead them to safety.

However, the giant snake ate them.

Then, the swordsman struck me again, causing another wound from my shoulder.

I'll take care of the swordsman first and then the snake.

The swordsman then made a cage with his blade.

How much can that blade extend?

And I still have to fight him up close.

I looked outside and saw a female raider warning the leader of the raiders about something

Then, lightning struck. A man with long ear lobes appeared.

That must be God.

He struck the woman with lightning.

Is that a devil fruit?

I then heard someone come up to me and quickly knocked them out.

I need to take care of the swordsman and then God. I found the swordsman again.

Just as I was about to cut him, a giant iron wall appeared.

I couldn't cut through because I wasn't focused enough.

He's been able to predict where I've been going the last couple times.

Shoot! He has observation Haki.

I need to be faster than him or attack him when he plans on attacking.

I ran behind a wall and started focusing on my swords.

Behind the wall, I heard him speak up. "Good job! You made it this far. But now, I have my sword pointing at your heart."

Focus. Breathe. Concentrate.

"Make your last prayer to God Swordsman of the Blue Sea."

I cried defiantly. "I will never in my life implore to your God."

I then concentrated getting ready for my new technique.

"Suit yourself." He prepared his attack.

I got ready. I heard the wall crumble.

 **108 Pound Phoenix.**

I cut through the iron wall and caused him to bleed.

I sheathed my swords, walked over to him to see if he was unconscious. I suddenly felt his dog come over.

"Wait" I called out. I wasn't ready to defend myself.

To my surprise, the dog waited.

Does he listen to anyone's command?

"Hit yourself in the head and make yourself faint." I tested it out.

It worked.

Well that saves some energy.

I looked over and saw the leader fighting the snake.

Just as I ran over, I saw lightning strike the snake. The lightning destroyed the ground we were standing on.

The ruins started collapsing. I quickly ran to grab Chopper to protect him.

We fell down. I heard a voice.

"Mr. Swordsman." I looked and saw Robin. She didn't seem that she fell down.

"Oh. You're here." I groaned. Of course I know she's here. I saw her while I was being dropped from that bird. Maybe she knows something. "Where are we?"

She answered. "This is the golden city we are looking for." I smiled at that, happy to have found our goal. "However, the gold is gone." I groaned at that.

Nami was probably going to find a way to take our money if she didn't get her gold.

Shoot. Nami was still in the snake.

I looked at the snake and saw that it was electrocuted.

"Ah! Nami!" I cried worried about her.

"Huh Zoro! Robin!" a familiar voice yelled out.

I turned and saw Nami hiding behind a wall.

"Why are you here? How did you get out?" I said angrily as much as I could. I didn't want anyone to think about how worried I sounded.

"Why is Miss Navigator here?"

"Never mind that. Luffy is still inside the snake."

I groaned. This shouldn't surprise me more than it should.

He had a way with animals.

Like that bird that swallowed him before we met Nami.

Him with Laboon.

Him with those Dugongs.

I decided not to ask questions for my sanity.

I heard Enel spoke. I quickly handed Chopper to Nami. Nami immediately went to go hide. Robin and I were soon joined with Gan Fall and Wiper.

Enel then started talking about how there should be only five survivors but there were six. He asked who wanted to die so we could have 5.

That was an easy question to answer.

We all pointed at him.

He smirked.

He then began talking on and on. I didn't really want to listen. All I got out of the conversation was he wanted to destroy the country and he had killed some civilians.

How does this pirate crew end up having to save some city or country?

Well, at least my crew's not the type ruin a country.

Maybe ruin a country's entire meat supply but that's about it.

Gan Fall immediately tried attacking Enel but was electrocuted.

"That has to be a devil fruit." I said.

"Goro goro no mi. It's one of the invincible powers. " Robin said.

Enel started laughing about how we were going to join his new country.

As if I would do that.

That's madness.

"What if we refuse?" I looked at Robin surprised. What is she doing?

"Refuse. I already decided. If you stay here, you will fall in abyss." Enel continued.

"True. With your power. However, if you destroy this country, that thing you want will also fall no?"

"You mean the golden bell?"

Oh the golden bell from the story is here?

"Ah. That. I already know where that is." He then looked at Robin menacingly. I got my sword out.

"Do you think you could trick me and find it for yourself? How shallow" He then pointed at her. "I don't like manipulative women."

He fired lightning at her.

Shoot! Move.

Do something Zoro.

I ran toward her but I was too late to push her out the way.

I could only catch her as she fell.

I glared very intensely toward Enel.

It's interesting.

A couple days ago, I didn't trust this woman at all. She was manipulative and seemed ready to betray anyone.

However, when we started this adventure, I started to see a different side of her. She was slowly opening up to us more.

" _I never thought that sailing and landing could be so adventurous too."_

That was when I realized she began liking us.

I started trusting her after we had the campfire yesterday. Our conversation last night made me realize that she never could trust anyone before.

Now, this crew gave her something to trust in.

What Enel did pissed me off more than the time I saw Chopper get struck minutes ago.

I couldn't believe I let two of my nakama get hurt in front of me.

I let Robin down gently as I could. "She's a woman." I said and I knew my face darkened. I didn't know what exactly I was feeling, but I knew I had to make him pay. [1]

"I noticed." He then smirked.

I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your face.

Especially when I cut you.

Chances are this man could turn to lightning.

I just need to see if I can focus again and cut him.

This will be the real test to see if I unlocked armament Haki.

I tried slashing him but he blocked it with his rod.

He jumped over me, but Wiper tried to shoot him.

I saw him turn to lightning.

Focus.

I ran up to where he landed. I heard a faint cry "Zoro. Don't!".

I ignored Nami.

As I cut his stomach, it was first lightning. However, as I got close to the outside, the lightning became skin.

I looked at my sword and saw this so called God's blood.

I smiled. I did unlock armament Haki.

Wiper and Nami were impressed. Enel looked at his wound close to his stomach and felt his blood. "I've..."

"Tell me. Does God bleed?" I taunted back.

However, Enel then zapped me after I finished taunting.

It wasn't enough to make me unconscious, but it was enough to bring me down.

"That was for cutting God. No one is allowed to cut God." He said. "I will make sure you die a painful death."

He then put his foot on top of me. Still, I couldn't get out of the position.

"I don't know how you cut God, but you will die now." It sounded that he was charging something at me.

Thankfully, Wiper quickly latched on top of him. "Do you know what seastone is?"

I smiled. This might be my chance. If only I could get up and cut him again. I struggled more under his foot. His foot became a little looser.

"I added some to my shooter, and it's draining your powers." Wiper continued.

That's why his foot was loose. It was similar to when Yuuto would hold Luffy with his gloves. Luffy would get tired. I was able to be free and quickly got my sword.

"Reject!" I heard him scream. I heard a large boom that came from Wiper's arm to Enel. It looked like Wiper's arm was going to break from that amount of force.

The important news was that Enel was down. I could relax slowly.

I then saw a flash of lightning.

I froze. It hit Enel. He restarted his heart.

I needed to run to him and try and kill him.

He stood up before I got to him. I still hurried.

"It's not 'God' that people fear. It's the terror that 'God' shows." He then fired at me at point blank and I saw black.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

Zoro's just went down!

Wiper's not going to stand a chances too.

What can I do?

I gulped.

As I backed away, I bumped into something.

Scared, I turned and saw Enel.

I hesitated. I quickly blurt out. "Please take me with you to the dream world."

I was going to say anything to save myself when I knew that I was no match for him.

However, when I said that, something in me was unhappy with myself.

Enel laughed. "Good for you. Come with me."

I nodded. Unsure what to do. "Can I take this with me?" I pointed to the waver.

After he destroyed the island, maybe I could escape.

He nodded. I followed him and eventually he took me to a ship made of gold.

It looked like the ship could fly.

We got on the ship. He began to use his powers and started flying the ship.

He seemed to be concentrating and I noticed black smoke coming from the top.

"What are you doing?" I was worried.

"That is the thunder cloud. Using my energy, deathpiea can produce clouds with electrical current running through it. The entire country below us will be covered in darkness. Then, the clouds will emit thunder, ten times stronger than my attacks. Everyone will die below."

I gasped at that.

Everyone will die below. Those words echoed.

That includes my crew.

I remembered all the things we went through together. I have never had so much fun with them.

I was going to share my gold with them.

"Don't you feel lucky that you get to enter my chosen land?"

" Lucky yes, but if I'm with you then it's the same as being alone."

He looked at me.

I continued. "What good is treasure if I am alone? After sharing so much of our dreams, instead of sacrificing them and leave with you, I would rather have nothing at all!"

I stopped. I got my clim-a-tact ready.

"You really do not value your life do you.?" I saw some of his lightning.

I don't want to fight, but I'm not staying on this ship any longer.

"What an unwise choice you made. Giving up the life you have been holding on. Unless you are hoping on the three rats that sneaked in."

Who could make it on this flying ship?

Soon enough, Luffy came bursting in.

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

Few minutes earlier

I made it out of that giant snake.

Imagine my surprise when I realized that it wasn't a mystery cave. It was a snake.

Once I got out, I couldn't help but shout, "Yeah! I finally got out!"

I took a look and saw ruins.

This must be where the bell is. Wait is that?

I ran and saw Zoro. He looked burned.

I immediately grabbed Zoro. "Zoro!" How did this happen with you here? How could you look like you got defeated so easily?

I looked and saw Chopper and Robin in similar state.

"How did this happen?"

I then noticed that I couldn't find Nami.

"Where's Nami?" I cried out worried.

Aisa, the little child I was with, then started crying. "Wiper!"

I looked. It was the leader I fought earlier.

Wow, even someone as strong as him lost too.

"Who did this?"

"It's Enel." Aisa cried.

I heard motion behind me. It was Robin.

"Captain." I heard a faint whisper. I ran to her. "He took Miss Navigator."

"He took Nami? Where?" I asked.

"To the top …. of the beanstalk. The bell is … at the top." Her voice was becoming weaker.

Wow, this guy did a lot to hurt all these people by himself.

He has the power to destroy this island?

"Got it. I hear 4 voices. Two of them must be Nami and Enel."

"Aisa, take me there!"

I got on Pierre. He started flying toward them. I saw a ship also rise, but it was going too fast for Pierre.

However, I heard my name.

"Luffy!"

I turned and saw Usopp and Yuuto hanging on a rope near the ship. I was happy to see some of my crew still alive.

They motioned me to get on. I grabbed them.

Yuuto did something and the rope started pulling us up faster than the bird did.

"Hey. Where's Sanji?" I asked.

Usopp said. "We couldn't wake him up." [2]

Yuuto looked at me. He warned. "Luffy. This opponent you're facing is someone you can beat easily. However, he has observation Haki. You need to be faster."

I nodded, realizing what he was saying. "What are you guys going to do?"

Usopp proudly said, "We're going to wreck the ship."

"Maybe steal some dials while we're at it." Yuuto continued.

"Then. I'll fight him and save Nami." I continued.

"Once you beat him and we destroy the ship, we run away got it Luffy." Yuuto looked at me.

I nodded, understanding. Once I beat him, I run away to ring the bell.

Once we got on the ship, Usopp and Yuuto went inside while I went to where Yuuto pointed where he was. I heard Yuuto say, "I wonder what that arrogant God will look like when he fights Luffy."

I burst open the door and saw Enel about to attack Nami.

"What did you do to my friends?" I asked remembering the others. He was about to hurt Nami too.

" What? More punks coming to play? Show some respect. I am God!"God yelled.

"You don't look like God!" I then started running toward him with my arms stretched out.

"I see. You're not a normal human. I wonder." He then tried to blast me with lightning.

I took the hit and continued running.

It didn't hurt at all.

Enel noticed and tried to fire more electricity at me.

I then punched him.

As he flew 50 meters away from me, he looked at me with shock.

He looked pretty dumb with both his mouth and ear lobe falling down like that.

I continued running toward him to punch him.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

I was surprised that Luffy would be able to take the lightning damage no problem.

Then I remembered that Yuuto laughed.

" _You'll see when you meet our captain."_

Yuuto expected Luffy to win against Enel why?

I saw Luffy stretch again.

His rubber body. Yuuto knew that Enel used lightning and realized Luffy can win.

This civilization probably never seen rubber.

Luffy can win. The only thing he had to watch out for was Observation Haki.

I saw Enel get punched. He lost a moment of composure and started getting hurt.

"Gomu Gomu Machine Gun." I heard Luffy yell.

At this rate, Luffy will win. Enel didn't seem that he could use observation Haki right now.

However, as time went by, Enel started dodging them.

He then changed his staff to become a trident. He stabbed Luffy. Luffy went down a bit, panting, catching his breath.

Enel regain composure and said, "I've seen your attack pattern. You are only immune against thunder. Luckily, I have other attacks that are not thunder based but physical."

He wiped some blood. He went to the controls and started releasing more electricity. It looked like he was going through with Deathpeia.

"Luffy." I cried out. "What are we going to do?"

Maybe, I could try helping Luffy fight.

He threw his hat to me. I caught it and stared at him.

"You are the Pirate King's friend. I got this." I then knew that he wanted to fight him by himself. He then bit his finger and started put his fist down on the floor. I would only watch.

He then said "Gear 2."

I noticed something moving in his legs. Was it blood? Steam was also coming out of his body.

I had seen him use this technique once while training, but Chopper and Yuuto told him not to use this technique for a long time. [3]

"Luffy? What are you- "

"Don't worry. I'm going to finish this as fast as I can." Luffy said calmly.

He then moved to where Enel is in an instant.

Enel was in shock. " I knew you were going to - " Luffy punched him.

Luffy moved way too fast for me to follow.

Luffy then started pounding as much as he can.

"Gomu Gomu Jet Machine Gun!"

Enel was down, kneeling. He cried out, "You're too late. The country will still be destroyed. It's too late." He then lost consciousess.

What did he mean by that?

Soon, we heard the ship begin falling apart, and it landed on some white cloud.

"Luffy" I cried worriedly. Steam stopped coming out of his body. "We need to go back to our crew and run away."

"Not yet." He said.

What else did he have to do?

He beat Enel.

He saved me. My heart pounded a little at that.

"What do you mean? Get on the waver!" I asked.

This was not the time for his whims!

"I still have something to take care of!"

"Take care of what?" I asked.

I couldn't help but think that I was saved already. What else needed to be taken care of?

"The golden bell is here!"

"Gold? I know gold is important. But our lives and our friends are more important."

I inwardly gasped at myself. I just admitted that my friends were more important than gold.

Not that I would admit that out loud in front of them.

"You saw it down there right?"

"What?" What are you talking about Luffy?

"The golden city! It exists!"

Huh? That's the purpose of why we came here to get gold right?

"It wasn't a lie." He continued. "The diamond head mister's ancestor wasn't lying."

At those words, I couldn't help but smile. Even now, when we are in danger, he still thinks about the people who treated him well.

"I have to tell him that Noland wasn't lying. The golden city is here in the sky!" He shouted. I see.

He said it with so much conviction.

"If I ring the bell really hard, I'm sure he'll hear it. Otherwise he'll keep diving and that's dangerous for him."

Luffy may be stupid, but he was the one of the nicest and caring people you'll ever meet. We just met Cricket for one day. Luffy was going to risk his life for him.

"Luffy..." I responded, understanding.

"I have to ring the bell so loud that everyone in the blue seas can hear it. That's why I'm staying here and ringing the golden bell no matter what." He said it as if he was declaring his dream.

When he said that, I realized why I wanted to be his navigator.

It wasn't just because he saved me and my life.

It was because of his caring heart for others and their dreams. He was someone who could help accomplish my dream because he cared about my dreams. He cared about my dream as much as he did about being Pirate King.

And that was when I realized that maybe I had an actual crush on my idiot captain. [4]

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I rushed to where I sensed Luffy and Nami.

Step 1 Make a plan.

We agreed that me and Usopp will try and destroy the ship. Luffy will beat Enel.

Step 2 Execute the plan.

Usopp was trying to destroy parts of the machinery with his explosive bullets. I couldn't really do anything other than scratch, but it wasn't as effective.

When I opened the door, I heard Luffy cry out "I have to ring the bell so loud that everyone in the blue seas can hear it. That's why I'm staying here and ringing the golden bell no matter what."

I sighed. Even though we were in danger and might lose our lives, our captain still didn't want to follow the plan.

I looked to see Nami if she would help convince him to keep our original plan.

This should be step 3 yelling at Luffy.

However, she looked serious and said, "Luffy. Use the waver to get up there. It's the fastest way."

What? Nami encouraging Luffy?

I give up. Nevermind, it was step 3, expect the plan to go off rail.

Luffy said, "No. I can't control the waver."

Nami gave him a look and said, "Then I'll control the waver for you. For this plan to work, I'm am trusting my life to you."

Nami risking her life unnecessarily? What did I miss?

I interrupted their discussion. "Guys! We need your help to destroy the ship. Usopp's doing all he can to break down the machinery, but it's not fast enough. It's going to release more of Enel's thunderclouds soon."

Nami could also do a better job than me with her climatact.

"Stop it yourselves." Luffy answered. "We're ringing that bell now."

I sighed, realizing I wasted my time trying to get them.

Step 4, throw away the plan. [5]

We wanted Luffy's extra destructive power to help destroy the ship, but it seems that he and Nami were going to go ring the bell at the top.

I guess it was time for me to try that impact dial out on this aircraft's machinery.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

I noticed Yuuto leave. I let out a breath of relief.

I did get nervous when Yuuto came in because he ended up being right about our conversation back at Alabasta. I was afraid he'd notice.

However, I just pretended to ignore him and went along with what Luffy said.

We pulled the waver outside on the white cloud and sent a message to the crew below to cut the beanstalk.

Yuuto and Usopp did cause some explosion in the ship. I heard some yells down there that Enel's thunderclouds weren't coming out anymore.

I looked outside, and there was only a small thundercloud above us. Not large enough to destroy a city.

I got ready, with Luffy's hands around my stomach. I froze a little bit, but realized it felt very comfortable and reassuring having his hands around me. I wonder how it would feel if he ...

Focus Nami.

After a while, the beanstalk started tilting, and I drove the waver the fastest I've ever driven one.

Granted, I've never driven it very fast before.

As I started driving, I realized that I didn't need to actually come on this trip. This was just an excuse for me to go with Luffy.

Maybe this crush was more serious than I thought.

As we got to the top of the bell, the waver landed roughly. I almost lost control, but Luffy helped by putting his hands on the cloud.

We saw a giant gold bell. I approached it.

If only we could steal it, but it was too large and heavy to put on a ship. According to my money sense, it was worth 1.5 billion berris.

Luffy saw it and smiled. He gave it a shake, but it wasn't enough to make a loud ring.

"Nami. Stand back." He warned.

I nodded, trusting my captain. I covered my ears. I had a feeling I knew what was going on.

He then used his Gomu Gomu Bazooka and I heard the loudest ring I've ever heard.

Even though it was loud, it made a nice sound. I looked at Luffy.

He yelled like a little boy. "Did you hear it Diamond head mister? Big monkeys?"

I'm sure they did Luffy. I smiled at him. It was cute seeing him jump in the air like that.

Because of the force Luffy hit with it, the bell soon fell out from the sky.

We looked at each other intently, not sure what to do now. There was no gold here anymore. "Let's go down now Luffy." I said.

Luffy quickly grabbed me. "I know a faster and safer way. Grab around my neck." I was confused. "Trust me."

I sighed. I did trust him. When I grabbed his neck, he then inhaled like a balloon. I laughed looking at him up close but quieted down. He didn't care that I laughed at him.

As he jumped down, the wind against my face felt calming. The breeze was soothing. My arms around his head felt comforting. I couldn't help but fall asleep as we made our way down.

* * *

AN:

[1] Personally, I always felt that Zoro and Robin have a special interaction.

In canon, I feel that Zoro was the first one to get to know who Robin really was and accepted her. Everyone else didn't really know too much about her. They accepted her without question.

I think Robin appreciates this because she is used to thinking that she's "the devil." When she realizes that the Strawhats actually did care about her regardless of her past, she feels touched. When Zoro helps out, someone who distrusted her so much in the beginning, I think she feels even more touched because that could be a sign that she changed.

Will I make the interaction between them romantic? I'm still debating about. Again, I want to write it in a way that goes well with the story. The main premise of the story has always been about the Strawhats and Yuuto, the adventures they go on, and the special bonds that the Strawhats have with one another.

[2] I decided not to write Sanji in this part because I felt Yuuto and Usopp made more sense. Sanji will get more time in later arcs.

I am realizing how hard it is to juggle 8 characters and for everyone to receive some character development. The only ones who I feel that I didn't develop at all in this arc were Yuuto and then Sanji even though I gave him Soru in this arc.

On one hand, I'm happy that I didn't add more characters to crew because of this. But on the other hand, it is kind of fun for me to write these different characters and their perspectives.

[3] Back in Chapter 3, I hinted that Luffy was trying to use Gear 3. However, he had trouble because he didn't have a doctor to help him. However, now that Luffy has a doctor, he can better develop the Gears, with Chopper telling him physiologically how to do it.

Yuuto plays translator for because he can understand what Chopper was saying.

Luffy heard the consequences of using Gear 2 and Gear 3. However, the only thing he got out of using Gear 2 was that he needs to eat more (which is how Yuuto explained the consequences to him).

What do you guys think about Luffy using Gear 2 now?

[4] So I made some actual romantic moments between Nami and Luffy.

Romance will not be a focus in the story. Some couples may happen; some may not. If Oda does have romance happen, it will happen closer to the end and not play an important role.

Maybe I might write some chapters that are romance heavy.

[5] Quote from Flash. It was used earlier in Chapter 5.

* * *

Anyways, that's a wrap. I really enjoyed writing Zoro, Nami, and Luffy in this chapter.

I will probably not update for a weekish because of Thanksgiving. Happy early Thanksgiving!

Please leave a review telling me what you liked, disliked, or something to improve on. I want the reviews to a little bit more specific. I am open to any criticism that I may receive writing this story. I am also open to any suggestions you guys may have (if you guys want more romance or more friendship moments among the straw hats).

I hope you guys look forward to the next chapter. I have some good plans for Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and Luffy in the next chapter. That will probably be released after Thanksgiving.


	18. Chapter 18 Leaving Skypiea Foxy Fight

Disclaimer: Nope. I do not own One Piece.

I do own this story that I just updated. I just got back from my vacation.

Happy late Thanksgiving!

* * *

Leaving Skypiea and Long Ring Long Island

 **Robin POV**

I woke up. Going over the last couple days that happened.

It turns out ringing the bell would signal an end a war between the Skypieans and Shandians. That along with the end of God's rule started a party that would last three days.

I couldn't help but actually enjoy a little bit during this party.

Even though I did not join the festivities, I had never had as much fun as I did before. I stayed and watched my crew. I was impressed with my crew with how how much fun they had when we weren't in danger.

Well except two of them.

First one was Yuuto. He did have some fun, but whoever he was with he would end up ask questions about dials. It seemed that he knew who to ask to find information. He had a unique way at finding information too, as effective as mine.

I do see his point in asking about dials though. The Blue Sea does not have any dials and no awareness about dials. In all my meetings with weapon suppliers, nothing seemed as simple and destructive as those dials. Yuuto asked how to make them and if there was a way to trade with them. Usopp even overheard about and looked very interested.

Soon enough, Usopp had started tricking them by trading dials for rubber bands. Not just that, but he actually made a dial while learning from Papagaya.

That could be useful.

Yuuto didn't trade anything, but he did try and make one. It didn't work as well as he hoped, but he looked like he expected his attempt to fail.

Zoro was the second one who didn't have as much fun compared to the others. During the day, he trained. Night time, he would drink.

I noticed that he kept looking at me multiple times throughout the past couple days. When we made eye contact, he looked away immediately.

Was it because of what happened with Enel?

I remember before I was blasted, I heard him run toward me.

Why did he care? Was he trusting me?

I shook my head at those thoughts. I was probably overanalyzing them.

Those were probably still looks of distrust. After all, it was only a matter of time when the Straw hats would betray me.

I frowned at that.

This crew was special.

I kind of wish I didn't join the crew.

I had let my guard down now and now I thought of this place as a home.

Would they accept me once they knew about my past?

As I stared at them sleeping peacefully, I sighed. Maybe I could continue being in this crew for the time being. When it was time for me, I would leave.

I tried to continue sleeping.

I woke up again because I heard footsteps approach.

I vaguely heard. "Psst. Nami. Wake up."

"Luffy?" Nami said groggily.

"Let's steal the gold and run away." Luffy whispered.

Nami was excited hearing that and made a louder sound.

I smiled. I heard both of them argue who was the louder one.

It didn't matter who was the loud one. You ended up waking all of us up. Except Zoro who continued sleeping.

The crew huddled close together while I kept a distance not too close but not too far away. Luffy had made a plan that we would steal the gold tomorrow.

We all smiled and went back to sleep.

In a sense, we are pirates.

When I woke up this morning, I heard about the fact they found the golden bell.

The golden bell has some ancient text in the ruins I examined.

I almost forgot about it.

I got caught up in the adventure and gold.

I was going to make a stop at the bell to see if I could uncover the ancient history.

* * *

Time skip

 **Robin POV**

I made it to the bell when the villagers retrieved it. I saw some Poneglyph text.

This could be what I was looking for.

I read out loud the text much to the shock of them.

After a while I stopped. The text soon began talking about another weapon, Poseidon.

It seemed that it was as strong as Pluton.

I don't need to know that it's at Fishman island.

I left but someone mentioned there was another text next to it.

I started reading and noticed the one who wrote it.

Gol. D. Roger

The pirate king made it to Sky Island? Why?

What does he mean by he will guide this text to the ends of the earth?

This poneglyph is the one with information.

Could it be that the Rio Poneglyph is found at Raftel and I need some of the previous poneglyphs I found?

I remember the deal I made with Yuuto and the strawhats. I didn't really believe him before, but now...

Now, I need the Road Poneglyphs not just for Luffy's dream but for my dream.

I smiled at the thought. This crew and I had the same goal after all. Maybe, they would want me because I could interpret the Poneglyphs for them. I guess I will stay in this crew after all.

As I was about to leave, the villagers thought it was a good idea to give us a gold pillar.

That could be a nice gift seeing that we could use some more gold.

* * *

Earlier

Inside the snake

 **Yuuto POV**

"See lots of treasure." Luffy exclaimed to Nami.

Nami was ecstatic. "This is fantastic!" I smirked at that.

She was really happy about the crown she picked up.

"It's pretty. It's the same as the one we saw at Jaya." Chopper was fascinated.

Sanji said, "This is authentic gold." He examined a clock carefully.

I motioned to stay focused at the task. "Alright. Let's give 4 bags of gold to Usopp and Zoro outside, and they can drop it off to the Merry first. Then, we see if we can give them more gold when they come back."

"That's pretty efficient Yuuto." Sanji said.

"It's something I've done before. I have been in a couple vaults before. " I said plainly. I then admitted. "I have never seen as much gold as I have in one place before."

I wasn't happy being in a snake's stomach because it might kill us. However, this was the most gold I've ever seen in one place however. I've been through at least 20 vaults before with gold.

None of them had a collection like this before.

"Less talking, more gold collecting." Nami ordered.

"Yes Nami" we all said. Most of us gave a tired sigh except Luffy.

I looked at Luffy. I know we weren't robbing people here, but I was surprised that he cared about money this time.

From what the crew told me, Luffy never stole any money after a new island. I then looked at Nami who cared the most about money. Maybe.

* * *

 **Robin POV**

As I made my way back with the crew and the villagers carrying the cannon, I saw Luffy waving his hand.

Luffy then showed me his back filled with gold.

It was kind of cute if you compare the gold that my crew members had compared to the pillar.

The pillar was at least 40 times as much as the gold they had.

I saw Luffy move his lips and say "Let's go back to the ship."

A part of me wanted me to stop them from leaving and say they were giving us a gift.

They weren't attacking us.

However, Usopp came and shouted. "We took a gamble here with our lives to reach Sky Island. We won't leave empty handed! We will take all this gold as our loot!"

Sanji then yelled. "Robin – chan! Hurry up! Don't get caught by them!"

I silently laughed. Even though we were adventurers, we were pirates first.

It would seem weird for pirates to be treated so well.

I also realized that they waited for me and didn't leave me behind.

I turned back to the villagers, "It seems they don't want it anymore."

I then started running, wondering what our next adventure together was going to be like. [1]

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

As we made it back to the ship, we took out all of the treasures and started discussing what to spend it on.

"We're rich! What should we buy? How about a giant statue?" Luffy exclaimed.

"How about some cannons?" Usopp suggested.

"Nami- swan. Can I buy a refrigerator that has locks on it?" I asked.

Yuuto considered it "Cannons and I can't believe I'm saying this, a refrigerator with locks, sounds like a great idea."

"Let's talk about our spending after we are back in the blue sea." our beautiful navigator said. "Nobody is wasting money on trash."

I heard Conis' angelic voice. "Everyone please look. We are almost at the exit."

Everyone started voicing their displeasure.

"I am feeling nostalgic for the blue sea."

Our emergency food supply said, "Sky island was fun. But scary."

Just as we got ready to leave. I heard Conis' voice, probably for the last time.

"Everyone be careful. You are going to start falling soon!"

Huh?

As we made our way out, we soon noticed that our ship was not on water but in the sky.

We looked back.

I heard a whistle and saw an octopus.

I'll save Nami and Robin from the octopus. As I got ready to kick it, it attached itself to the ship.

It then slowed our falling down a lot.

"This is nice." Nami admitted. She was admiring the clouds.

"Yeah. I thought we were goners." Usopp admitted.

As we drifted downward, we looked above and saw the island we just left.

Soon, we heard the bell.

We smiled.

It was like a very nice dream.

When we landed back to the familiar blue ocean, we made a loud splash.

"Nami, Robin are you ok?" I asked worriedly. I heard them say yes.

Everyone was accounted for.

"Is everyone safe?" cried Yuuto he called out. The rest of the crew said yes.

They're not that important as Nami-chan and Robin-chan.

I took a cigarette. "That was one magical trip." I admitted.

Everyone agreed.

Luffy soon continued. "Alright. We're going on to the next island men."

Usopp complained. I smirked.

It was just like Luffy to find his next adventure.

Nami pointed out, "Let's distribute the loot."

Yuuto also said, "Meanwhile, we should use the time to review what happened. We will meet more people with mantra or observation Haki in the New World. They will also have armament Haki as well." We looked at him.

Sometimes, Yuuto was too serious.

"Lighten up Yuuto." Luffy said. "We are all fine."

"Yeah, Yuuto." Usopp continued. "We've been on a winning streak."

I was about to say something too but stopped looking at Marimo and Yuuto. Marimo actually silently agreed with him.

Yuuto said, "Remember. This part of the Grand Line is called Paradise. It's a cakewalk compared to the New World."

I looked at Nami and Robin when he said that. Nami froze while Robin nodded her head.

"People like Enel are like medium level threats in the New World. Once you have armament Haki, logias are pretty easy to beat. We were lucky that Enel never fought against someone who had rubber powers or armament Haki. I know of people who could beat Enel with one hit in the new world." Yuuto continued.

I actually gulped at that. How powerful are the people in the New World.

"I actually managed to cut him." Marimo said.

"Really?" Yuuto said impressed.

"You're lying." I said. There's no way Marimo could do that.

"It's true Sanji." I was shocked. Nami confirmed the story. "I was there. Zoro first cut lightning but eventually it became blood. "

"Congratulations Zoro. You unlocked Armament Haki." He said smiling.

"Yuuto, you were right about earlier. I have to be able to use it consistently. If I had been able to cut him where I first struck him, he wouldn't have beaten me so easily." Zoro continued the story.

Yuuto nodded. "At the rate, we're going. We'll be at the New World in about a month. That's too fast. We need to train more or slow the trip down. In order for Luffy to become Pirate King, we need to be able to last a fight against people like Enel soon."

Luffy put his hand up. "Don't worry. I'll protect everyone, so let's keep sailing."

I looked around. Everyone else except Yuuto and Zoro smiled.

As I continued smoking, I agreed that I needed to be stronger. Enel took me out way too easily.

If what Yuuto said is true, the weaker crew members wouldn't stand a chance.

Yuuto also said something. "I got lucky. When Enel shocked me, Chopper and I think that shock actually helped my left leg. I can train more seriously now." He had a certain glint in his eye.

Usopp whimpered. "It seems that God Enel unleashed another monster. Yuuto normally isn't that aggressive."

"Well. Let's just say I didn't fight much in Skypiea. And now that I feel that I'm 100% I'm craving a little more action. Don't worry, I won't be that reckless. Anyways, I need to help train you guys too." Yuuto said. He grinned about it.

Everyone except Robin and Chopper groaned. Chopper actually had an idea what it looked like. Robin looked confused.

"Is Fox's training style that bad?" Robin asked.

Poor naive but beautiful Robin. Yes it is.

* * *

Time skip

2 days later

 **Usopp POV**

We had successfully defeated another ship. It was really easy.

It wasn't because we had gotten stronger. The boat was completely disorganized. They were pirates, but they didn't have a flag or a captain.

It would have been like taking candy from a baby, but we didn't loot them. Luffy and Zoro opposed the idea because of the lack of the fight. Yuuto countered they had fired first. Nami agreed with Yuuto, but we all knew that Nami just wanted more money. Sanji and Robin didn't voice anything, but they did want more supplies.

However, Luffy told us not to loot them and we all followed with that.

I looked at Luffy. He wanted them to have a chance at survival.

Luffy was getting restless however. We needed to find an adventure fast for Luffy.

I just won't go because of my I-can't-go-to-an-unknown-island disease.

"Hey Robin!" She was on lookout duty. "Do you see anything?"

"Yes a while ago." She said it so calmly too.

"Why didn't you say so?" Me and Luffy asked.

"You are on watch so when you see an island you're supposed to say..." I knew Luffy would immediately follow.

"You guys!" Luffy screamed without missing a beat. "I see land! Land ho! Land ho!"

"Now you do it!" I commanded Robin.

She just ignored me.

Why does no one listen to the vice-captain of the ship?

As we landed on the ship, Luffy, Chopper, and I went to explore the island. The island had very interesting animals.

We soon befriended a horse and its owner. Apparently the owner was stuck on stilts for ten years. We helped reunite them with Luffy rescuing the owner from the stilts.

As they rode together, we suddenly heard a gunshot. The horse went down.

Chopper and I ran over to the horse to check.

Luffy saw the one who fired. "Who the hell are you?" He yelled angrily.

I look back and saw three pirates.

The one in the middle, who seemed like the captain, asked, "Who am I? We should teach them some manners."

"I don't care about your face. But I will kick your ass and send you flying." Luffy yelled angrily.

The one in middle started kneeling crying over.

He looked pathetic crying like that.

His own crew tried to help comfort him.

"I am the Great Foxy. I only shot it for fun."

My crew hates people who do stuff like that.

Luffy was about to attack him, but Foxy surprised us all. "Wait. Straw hat Luffy!"

How do they know about who Luffy is?

"Eh? How do you know my name?" Luffy asked.

The woman started speaking. "Monkey D. Luffy – 120 million. Roronoa Zoro – 80 million. Scheming Fox – 50 million. With only eight people, you have $250 million. That's quite impressive."

Yuuto was right. We should be more careful with the bounties in the newspapers. Now I see why he had that disguise kit.

"That is why we Foxy pirates will challenge the Straw hats to an official Davy Back Fight!"

Wait. That game.

That ship with no flag.

I need to stop Luffy.

Otherwise, we're going to lose our friends.

I tried warning Luffy, but it was too late. He accepted.

I don't look forward to explaining this to the crew.

* * *

Time Skip

Only Nami was the only one who didn't want to participate in Davy Back Fight.

Zoro and Sanji probably just wanted to fight.

Chopper wanted to show he could be dependable.

Robin said that this looked fun.

Yuuto surprised me. He told me that this could be a good way of training.

It's not good training if we lose our friends.

Yuuto looked at the events and organized everything.

He put me, Nami, and Robin in the Donut Race.

Himself, Zoro, and Sanji in the Groggy Ring.

Luffy in the combat ring.

We got together. I was surprised how fast Yuuto came up with this and a sound strategy.

Because we were racing in the water, I could build the ship and shoot my slingshot at them if needed. Nami would navigate the ship. Even though Robin was a devil fruit user, she could also help power the boat with her hands.

Because of the Groggy Ring, he felt that it was best to have the athletic people in the group who could understand the game quickly. Luffy was a no go because he had trouble understanding the games we played. We played some card games at least ten times, and he still doesn't understand the rules. Chopper was also a no go because of the Rumble Ball's three minutes.

That left Luffy with combat.

Yuuto also said that if we lost an event, they would probably take someone in the next event for an advantage.

I looked at him and Chopper. Chopper was sad that he didn't get picked to participate.

Yuuto also told him that it would be important for Chopper to help heal anyone who might get injured during an event. We didn't want to risk our doctor being injured or picked.

Yuuto also warned us that they seem to win a lot, so we should be careful. He even warned that they're pirates who probably cheat. Lastly, he said it's good that our cleverest people were in the first event in case we need to deal with them for future events.

I nodded at Yuuto. The hidden message he gave to the first group was that he would make sure the first event went smoothly. We would have to take care of the next couple events.

With that said, he bolstered my and Nami's morale.

As we made the ship, I can tell that Nami was even feeling competitive towards Porche, the female Foxy pirate. I looked at rest of the competitors, they had a sword fish and a star shark. They seemed like good swimmers.

Still, I smirked. With Yuuto's planning and my crewmates, we were going to win.

As they explained the rules, I listened to the crowd. They all seemed that they were going to do something. I looked at Porche who had a smirk. What was going to happen?

I did feel relief when I saw Yuuto, Zoro, and Sanji go around the crowd.

As the bell rang, we started moving forward.

"What happened to our support fire from the audience?" yelled Porche as they tried to attack our boat.

Yuuto was right. They were going to cheat. We had fallen a little behind, but not as far behind as she probably wanted.

I looked at the audience and saw unconscious bodies with only Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto standing around.

Yuuto gave us a thumbs up.

Sanji yelled, "I helped protect you Nami and Robin!"

Zoro started taking a nap.

We had to dodge the fishman's attack. I tried firing at him but he shrugged it off.

Robin then used her powers to flip him to the shark. It wasn't enough to knock them unconscious, but they were bound by Robin's abilities.

I quickly started using the three breeze dials I brought and started rowing.

"Nami? Would you like to add some thunder to them?" I asked. I wanted to see how the new design worked.

Nami smiled and showed off her new climatact. Robin also smiled and tossed them to the sea. Nami unleashed a thunder ball on them much quicker than before.

Unfortunately, I didn't add a new dial to make it a more powerful thunder ball. Still, it did its job.

"Usopp, row faster!" She ordered.

"I'm trying. Think you can give us some more wind?" I answered back.

"Unfortunately not. Remember you only upgraded cold ball in the last two days." Nami added.

Right. Well at least, her weather clouds come out a lot faster.

We made it to the first obstacle long coral. The enemy had moved about 50 meters since the start.

"Let's conserve some of our energy here." I said.

Nami and Robin agreed. "Right. Let's see which path to take." The Foxy pirates had caught up to us and were trying to go through the obstacle while Nami waited.

Even though I was in a rush seeing this, I knew that I needed to trust Nami with navigating. She has led us through so different types of weather even predicting storms and cyclones before they happened.

I kept quiet while watching her decide which way to navigate.

I saw the other team try a different way but no avail.

Still what if they got lucky?

Nami then smiled. "It's our turn. Let's go." She led the way.

Right when we were about to enter the obstacle, smoke appeared.

"It's the Foxy captain." Robin said.

I panicked but then I noticed the boat was moving along the obstacle without us doing any work and we weren't crashing to them.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"I just needed to determine which path to take in this maze of currents. We can literally pass this place with our eyes closed." Nami said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Witness the power of our amazing navigator!" I praised Nami. Again, she has proved time and time again that she was reliable. I was right to trust in her.

I saw Nami just smiled back at that.

As we made our way through, I started screaming. There was a whirlpool.

Robin simply said. "Stop screaming. We can't avoid it. Let's hope our boat doesn't get destroyed by the whirlpool and the sharks come and eat us."

"That's not helping Robin!" How can she be so morbid?

"Usopp. Get ready to use an impact dial." Nami ordered.

What? Nami!

As I was about to complain, I realized that I should still trust her. She is the navigator. If I use an impact dial, that may break my arm though.

Wait, the force could cause us to skip the whirlpool.

I got ready bracing myself.

As I used the impact dial, Nami's plan was right. The force would cause us to skip the whirlpool. I looked behind and the other team was still at the first obstacle.

"I didn't break anything in my body. My arm hurts a bit"

The strength training had paid off. If I had done this when I was at Alabasta, my arm would be broken for sure.

As we continued our way across, the captain kept trying to trick us with fake signs and fake cries of help. There was no way all three of us would fall for those tricks.

I was a liar. There's no way I would fall for them. I was probably with the cruelest people in the crew who had no emotions.

Nami kept going forward.

I saw the finish line! It was about 40 meters away.

"There it is!"

Nami also looked excited. However, when we passed through it, she ripped the sign.

"Didn't I tell you to quit it already?" She yelled toward the shore.

I looked at the shore and saw the lame Foxy Captain cry.

Shoot. I got fooled.

I lied. "I was just pretending. Lowering his guard." I said hurriedly. "It's not like the Great Usopp to get tricked so easily right?"

Robin looked at me disbelievingly while Nami sarcastically said, "Right."

It's good that those two are here to help the Great Usopp. They're keeping me on track to win.

When we saw the other finish line, hopefully, the real one, I looked back and saw the other team about 100 meters away from us.

We were about 60 meters away from the finish line.

We can win. There were no more obstacles. Their boat may be naturally faster than us but we should be able to win.

However, as we continued sailing, we saw the Foxy captain fire a beam at us.

"Noro Noro beam." I heard him cry out.

At first, I was afraid that we were going to get hurt. However, it seemed that nothing happened. I turned to my friends.

That's when I realized I couldn't move. Actually, I was moving too slow. I looked and saw the entire boat was moving slow.

Shoot!

That's when the other boat passed us and we lost.

* * *

 **Chopper POV**

How did we lose?

I was watching the race. We had the lead the entire time. It wasn't until that stupid Foxy captain cheated and slowed down the race.

Now, we were going to lose a friend.

I hope I don't get picked too.

Ahh! That woman looked at me creepily. I felt shivers.

I quickly hid behind Yuuto who had his mask on.

Then, Foxy pointed at where I was hiding. "You."

How could he know where I was hiding? I was about to whisper me until I heard Foxy continue. "Scheming Fox."

Wait! Yuuto got picked!

I let a breath of relief.

Yuuto pointed at himself.

"That's right. It only makes sense to pick you. You belong with the crew with your fox mask already." Foxy continued.

Yuuto said, "That's a stupid reason to pick me."

I smiled. Yuuto wasn't going to go with them.

Foxy smiled evilly. "Well you seem to be the only guy who knows how to plan on your crew. Still rules are rules."

Yuuto then bowed to the crew and walked over to them.

What was going on?

How could Yuuto act like this? How could he be so willing to do so?

I started crying. Yuuto was like an older brother to me who would help watch over me. I would always admire him when he was practicing his martial arts. He was always kind.

"Everyone." I started bawling to the rest of them. The rest of the crew looked at me.

"I don't want this. I started sailing with you guys. With Luffy and Yuuto. How come he has to go?"

I looked at Yuuto. He didn't say anything.

I was feeling hurt. He wasn't complaining. Was he ok joining them?

"Shut your mouth Chopper! You are being disgraceful." That was Zoro.

I looked at Zoro.

"It was your and Yuuto's choice to sea. Dead or alive, the decision was yours. We accepted the challenge. Usopp and them lost. In the pirate's world, tears won't get you anything. If you are a man like Yuuto, sit tight and quietly watch the game." He declared.

As Zoro finished saying that, Yuuto turned his back on us and raised his left hand.

Soon after, Nami and Usopp yelled, "Understood!" and raised their left hands as well.

Wait. Left hand was the symbol of our friendship.

Yuuto was telling us that we were still friends. We just need to get him back.

I rose my left hand as well and stopped crying. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji soon followed through. Robin was a little confused and didn't follow us.

I heard the crowd be amazed at what had just happened.

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

If Yuuto was gone, then that means only me and Marimo would have to compete in the next event.

Marimo was going to get in my way. If only marimo was picked. I could work with Yuuto no problem. He was like my assistant chef.

Even if he annoyed me by getting all the ladies.

If only we had been more careful. Yuuto warned us that they were going to cheat.

I looked at Usopp and Nami. They looked really broken that they lost.

They did the best they could.

But now, we were facing traditional pirates. Luffy was definitely not your normal pirate. He liked adventuring and fighting, but he never went his way to actually go and attack anyone. We would defend ourselves and loot if we were attacked first.

But these pirates were willing to cheat and steal. We can't play as honest as them.

I walked over to Nami, Usopp, and Robin and told them. "Watch our backs on the sidelines."

We weren't going to make the same mistake as last time. We can't afford to lower our guard at any moment. They nodded and recovered from the previous loss.

Even though Yuuto went to their side with no problem, I could tell that he wasn't happy and would rather be with us.

"Oi. Marimo! Let's go." I glared at him.

"Whatever. It's not like I need you Curly Brow Idiot." he responded back.

"What do you want to fight now?" I retorted back.

Nami yelled, "Stop it you two!"

We both stopped. When I was picked to be the ball, however, we started fighting again.

We stopped when we saw our opponents. They were larger than us.

We didn't say anything.

When it was time for us to start, I was supposed to go to the other side.

"Wait. Who said that I had to wear this stupid ball?" There's no way that this ball makes me look handsome to Nami and Robin.

"You are so annoying. Wow Sanji, you look so handsome with that ball." Marimo pretended.

"I am not falling for that!" There's no way this ball can make me look handsome.

I heard an angelic voice through the crowds.

"Sanji-kun! You look awesome with that hat!" It was Nami's voice.

" Alright! I'll do it. There's no better man than me." If Nami says it, it must be true.

"Yeah. You look like the prince... of idiots." Marimo said. I glared at him saying that.

We started fighting each other.

We soon stopped when we heard them go over the rules.

I had to make sure my ball does not go to my buoy.

As we began, I immediately used Soru to go to the opponent big ball boy.

Let's get this game over really quick.

Just as I jumped to kick him, he used his arm and placed it under my feet.

His arm's slippery! If only I wore my rubber shoes that I wear in the kitchen, I wouldn't have slipped so easily. I started sliding along his body. He then sent me back where I came from.

If I only I could figure out the secret to that Geppo technique, then I could control where I am in the air.

I then felt that I was grabbed by another opponent. He was trying to slam me into the buoy. I looked down and saw Marimo grabbing the other opponent and getting ready to toss him.

That was going to block their shot.

I wasn't going to let him have all the glory. I quickly grabbed my opponent and kicked his head.

They collided against each other.

"I don't need you" I yelled to Marimo. He'll only get in my way.

"You were the one being tossed around!" he countered.

I was getting ready to kick him, but I calmed down. This wasn't going to help.

We looked at our opponent. He then started chasing after us.

We ran away because he had knives under his shoes.

"Ref! I thought there were no weapons." I yelled.

I saw the referee look the other way as I said that. He was trying to whistle innocently.

Angry at the obvious cheating, I went to kick him as Zoro was being chased.

Right when I kicked him, the referee gave me a yellow card.

What!

Usopp grabbed me to stop him from beating him up more. Nami then looked at me.

Right. They'll take care of the sidelines. Me and Zoro will win the event.

As I ran back to face the giant, Zoro and I ran together against him.

The giant has slippery skin so I need to land on his clothes. Unfortunately, Zoro didn't know about his slippery skin.

He collided into me and we started spinning.

The giant was flexible to make himself a giant circle. We went around his body numerous times.

We were both getting dizzy and soon enough we were flying through the air.

I don't know what exactly happened because I was so disoriented. All I know is that I felt metal clashing against my body. Both me and Zoro were bleeding on the ground.

It pains me to say this but...

"Hey cook!" Zoro said. "I need your help for 10 seconds!"

Good. I don't actually have to admit it.

Normally, I'd laugh at him for admitting that but this was serious. We could lose the game if we don't get our act together.

Still, for him to admit it first shows a lot.

He was serious about winning this to protect our crew.

"That..." I coughed out some blood. "sounds like the right amount." I needed to match his seriousness.

We both got up. Our enemies looked a little intimidated.

Foxy, intimidated even more, cried out "Give me a monster burger."

I looked at our enemies, and they brought out more weapons, hammers, swords, and frying pans. They tried to be flashy about it.

I kicked the first one and aimed him to land between the frying pans.

He landed between the frying pans and was crushed.

The guy with the swords tried to stop me, but Zoro intervened.

Zoro threw him toward the guy with the frying pans. He stopped smashing his frying pans. I kicked the giant.

The guy with the swords was still standing up. I sneaked behind him and kicked him hard, so he would land on the referee.

The referee couldn't seem to find his cards. I looked and saw Nami holding them.

Zoro gave me a look, and I nodded.

I was going to kick him up while Zoro would bring the point down.

I saw him grab the ball giant by the mouth and threw him down.

"Goal!" We heard the cry.

Nami then handed the referee the whistle.

Game over.

I hate to admit it, but me and Marimo head make a good team.

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

My team won! I knew they could do it.

Alright, that means I get to pick the next person.

"That means I choose -"

"Wait." Nami stopped me. I looked at her. "The third is a one on one match. We can take him right now and get an automatic win."

She was right. However, it didn't seem fun.

"You're right Miss Navigator. We will certainly get an easy win. However, I don't want that Splithead traveling with me." Robin said.

"So true about the splithead." Nami agreed.

As one, the rest of the crew and I said. "Yeah. We don't need that kind of trash."

I looked and saw stupid splithead on the ground crying.

Nami then smiled at me. "Alright then Luffy. Make your pick."

"Alright. Yuuto. Come back!"

We saw Yuuto walk back.

"I knew you guys would want this fox back." he said.

"Shishishi. As if we would pick that two head idiot over you." I said.

"Right. Listen. About the final round... " Yuuto started speaking.

I couldn't hear him.

I was looking forward to knocking Foxy idiot with one punch.

As we made preparations for the final round, Usopp and Yuuto took me aside.

Yuuto said, "Luffy remember about his ability to slow things down."

"Right" I said. I would be careful of that.

"Be careful of the ship. There's plenty of traps. Also, he has disguises in those rooms. Don't fall for them."

I nodded. Listening to what he was saying. It sounded very important.

He continued as he looked over me. "Also Luffy, there was this 'mystery' machine with a mirror. Not sure why it's there but thought you should know."

I nodded.

Usopp then put on this cool hairstyle. "Luffy. Use this afro when you fight. Your punches will be stronger."

I smiled. Usopp understood me best. "Thanks Usopp. That's the most useful thing I've heard yet." I put on the afro.

I ignored Yuuto who was on the ground for some strange reason, muttering something. [2]

I was ready to knock Foxy out of the ring.

As I got on the ship, ready for the match to start. I looked at his idiotic head.

This was going to be an easy knockout.

* * *

A couple minutes later

 **Luffy POV**

Ok. I was wrong.

I'm having more trouble than I thought. He didn't hurt me too bad, but I couldn't beat him.

I was definitely stronger than him, but he was too tricky for me.

He had his traps and really good designed disguises that would fool anyone.

Those disguises made him look like his siblings. If he had any.

Thankfully, I was able to not fall for his disguise when I asked him "Did you see that stupid foxy guy with his head split in two?"

That's when he started moping.

Right when I was about to attack him, he used his noro noro beam.

I need to think of a way to get rid of this beam. Without it, he would have lost a while ago.

As I fell into a room, with a mirror behind me. I saw the mystery machine that Yuuto was talking about.

I saw stupid Foxy on top of the machine. He launched his noro noro beam. I dodged it but was hit in the back by it.

His beams can bounce back?

I then started seeing that his machine could punch a lot.

I need to get rid of the mirror.

Wait! I can use it.

After being hit for a while, I quickly broke the mirror and it shattered around. I quickly escaped out to the ship deck before making sure I had a piece.

As I made it outside the ship, I waited for him to come out.

We needed to finish this quick to save my nakama.

As he came out, we started pummeling each other.

When he was about to use his noro noro beam, I used the mirror I had and reflected back to him.

He got his power on him now. I then punched him with my right.

After time passed, he flew out.

I won and kept my nakama safe.

I looked over to the stands with my arms out.

Time skip

 **Luffy POV**

After I took their symbol, we met up with Tonjit and Sherry. As we walked by, I said, "I'm glad we don't have to fight that stupid fox guy."

Yuuto replied. "Hey! Are you talking about me?" My crew except Robin laughed. I noticed Robin didn't laugh, but she smiled.

Sanji laughed. "You know he wasn't talking about you right."

Yuuto continued. "I know. I was joking. But still. Foxes are cool."

He then tensed up. "There's someone really strong here." Nami, Usopp, and Chopper started being afraid.

I laughed about it. "That's not problem. I'll beat him." Zoro also grinned at the prospect of fighting someone strong.

Yuuto sighed. "He's stronger than about 90% of the people I've met in the new world. He's someone we're not ready for." Nami, Usopp, and Chopper started crying. Sanji and Robin said nothing about it. Zoro was curious.

Usopp started crying "Let's go back to the Merry."

Nami and Chopper nodded.

Don't worry so much Yuuto. You're scaring our crew members.

"We can handle him Yuuto." I looked at him.

He didn't seem to believe me, sighed, and whispered "It's a bad idea. But I'll help."

However, he kept walking with us. This caused the other members to follow.

As we walked, we saw Tonjit and Sherry. They seem to be doing well.

We greeted them. Yuuto stared at the door. There was a tall man who was sleep standing there. He tensed up, seeing him and put on his mask.

That was who was scaring Yuuto.

Nothing to worry about. He doesn't seem that strong nor is he awake.

I looked at Tonjit. Chopper had checked on Sherry's wounds.

"I see. So this is why you accepted the challenge." Nami said. I smiled at that. Times like that Nami understood me well.

However, she continued. "But an idiot like you would have accepted it either way."

"Hey. Respect your captain." I was angry hearing that.

Tonjit then tried going into the house. He bumped into the man.

As the man woke up, Yuuto quickly put on his gloves and Robin fell back.

I was more surprised about Robin. She looked scared.

"Robin?" I asked looking at her.

Zoro got his swords ready. Yuuto took a fighting stance.

The man looked at her and said, "You grew up to be a fine woman. Nico Robin."

"Guys. I told you that this was a bad idea." Yuuto said.

Aokiji looked at him as if he saw the mask before. "I'm surprised someone like you is a pirate now."

"Well things change." he retorted back.

"Well I suppose you chose a better job now than before. Unfortunately, that gives me the right to attack you." Aokiji stated.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"He's Aokiji, one of the Marine admirals. Remember my notebook." Yuuto warned.

Zoro, Nami, and Sanji nodded at that.

"He's the one who ate the Hie Hie no mi. Right?" asked Sanji. Yuuto nodded.

"Your notes say that he can freeze the ocean." Zoro said.

"To terrify Robin to this extent. How strong is he?" Nami asked.

"Ararara. You guys should chill. It's not like I was ordered here." Aokiji said.

Yuuto visibly brought down his fighting stance at that. The others were still tense.

"He is one of the three admirals." Robin started speaking.

"What's someone like him doing here? There's plenty of pirates worth more than 100 million. Just leave us alone." Usopp cried out while hiding behind Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto.

Aokiji then looked at Nami. "What do we have here? Another sexy lady? Are you free tonight?"

I got angry hearing that. "Pay attention to us." I shouted.

Nami looked at me surprised that I yelled that.

I ignored the look, but I just remembered the events that happened between us during Skypiea.

I really enjoyed her company when it was just us two at Skypiea ringing the bell.

Something in me told me that I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if it was just me and someone else in the crew.

I then looked at her. She turned away.

I still needed to talk to Zoro about this. I don't know why I felt like this with her.

Aokiji lied down. "Anyways. I do not intend to arrest you. I'm only here to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin after the Alabasta incident."

At that, everyone relaxed.

"I'm only going to report the discovery. They can recalculate the bounty. It will be 250 million plus 79 million..." He thought about it. "Too hard to count. It's roughly the same."

"It's 329 million." Yuuto said. I know Yuuto would be smart to do math.

The way Aokiji talked sounded like he was going to take Robin from us.

Maybe Yuuto was right after all. He was bad news.

He then pointed at Tonjit. "I can help you go to the next island to meet with your people."

He walked over to the ocean and froze it.

Ok. Maybe he was a nice guy after all.

As we said our goodbye to Tonji and Sherry, I realized it became cold.

I looked at Aokiji. He seemed that he was thinking about something.

"What?" I asked him.

"How should I say this? You and your grandpa are really alike. Is it open-minded or absent-minded?"

I got nervous hearing about grandpa.

It brought some memories even if some of my crew knew about it.

"That's right. You worked under Garp." Yuuto said.

Robin and Chopper looked confused about that.

"Maybe all of you should just die here and now." Aokiji threatened.

* * *

 **Robin POV**

I got angry as he said that. I started ignoring him and started planning.

He really meant me.

I needed to kill him.

When I saw him again, I was afraid of being taken away from here.

This last adventure had been really nice. Able to work with them. Seeing how much they cared for each other.

Maybe they cared about me too.

If he continued talking, he would talk about my past.

Aokiji then looked at me directly. "As a child, you were a true survivor. Betraying your partners, using them as tools. After the recent feat of survival you have taken, are these the new tools you have chosen to manipulate to achieve your goals?"

I was furious. I resented that. I wasn't the same woman before.

The Straw Hats actually became a home to me.

I don't know if they think of me as their friend, but to me, they are like a home.

Aokiji continued. "Here's the proof. Every group Nico Robin has associated herself with has ended up completely annihilated. " I saw Yuuto slightly nodded at that.

That hurt a little bit.

"Leaving her as the sole survivor. Why is that so Robin?"

"Shut up! What happened in the past doesn't matter." Luffy yelled.

Aokiji looked at me. It was kind of a taunt "I see. You already earned the trust of these people."

I couldn't take it anymore. "Treinta Flores."

I tried to break his back.

If only it were that easy.

He then reformed in front of me. He grabbed a couple leaves and formed an ice sword with it.

"I wasn't planning on killing you but." He swung.

I closed my eyes ready to receive the blow.

It never came.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Zoro with his sword out blocking Aokiji's sword.

What?

Someone who distrusted me when I first came on the ship was ready to defend me so quickly.

I tried to look at his eyes, but I could only see his back.

I then heard two people running. Sanji coming in front of him and Yuuto coming behind him. Yuuto reached first and grabbed both of his arms. Sanji then kicked the sword away.

Luffy then came ready to punch him.

I actually had people defend me. No questions asked. I wanted to smile.

However, I couldn't smile. Yuuto was first kicked away. Aokiji then grabbed Sanji's knee and Zoro's elbow. As Luffy punched him, I saw his hand slowly becoming ice.

He froze three of them at once and took down all four of them almost simultaneously.

"You've got good friends this time Robin." He taunted. "But you're still yourself."

"You're wrong... " I began. Fearing what was going to happen. "I've..." He then approached me.

Changed.

I couldn't say it when he started freezing me.

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

"Robin!" I cried out.

She was a Robin ice statue.

I was standing a bit away with my fist encased in ice. My body was fine.

"Chill kid. If you thaw her out properly, she'll live. However, her body is very brittle right now. If I were to smash her like this..." Aokiji got ready to punch her.

I quickly ran and grabbed her with one hand pulling her down as gentle as I could.

"That was close." I then saw him about to kick down. I wasn't able to move out the way.

Usopp thankfully ran over and grabbed her away.

"Usopp Chopper. Get back to the ship. Start thawing Robin." I ordered.

Those two nodded and started running back.

"For God's sake. Don't save her." He started running back Yuuto intervened.

"No thanks. She's one of us." he said. He grabbed both of Aokiji's hands with his gloves. He was backed up by Zoro and Sanji who were getting closer. Nami had her climatact out. [3]

"Wait!"

I yelled. Yuuto was right that he was stronger than us. Still this was a good test for me against people from the New World.

"Don't fight him. I want to fight him alone. One on one." I yelled.

They all looked serious at that.

Yuuto said, "Don't challenge him like that. We can help fight. We just need Nami to make the weather warm for us. Zoro can-"

I interrupted him. "It's my mess. I'll get us out of it. Captain's orders."

The men of them sighed and were about to leave except Nami.

I heard Nami grumble worriedly, but Zoro and Yuuto looked at her.

They both motioned at me.

"I'll be fine Nami." That didn't convince her. Sanji sighed and put his hand on her shoulder. That seemed to comfort her. They all soon left.

Nami didn't need to worry about me. I'll be fine. It was just like her to worry too much.

I cracked my knuckles and started getting ready for Gear 2.

That started heating my body internally.

Aokiji looked at me.

Soon enough, the ice covering my hand slowly melted.

I remembered what Chopper and Yuuto said about this form.

Basically I have to win this fight in 3 minutes.

Otherwise, I'll get hungry again and shorten my life span. [4]

"Hmm... Seems like you're using you rubber body to speed blood flow in your body." He noted.

I was serious. I need to see if I could unlock armament Haki.

Jet Pistol!

As I punched him, my hand froze for a bit. However, I felt the ice melt a little faster than earlier.

My body was heating up to counteract that.

Jet stamp!

I kicked him and he went back a little.

However he made another ice sword and threw it at me.

It was too fast for me to dodge. I took the hit and fell down. I saw him come close to me how he approached Robin.

Shoot!

* * *

 **Usopp POV**

Nami had come in to help thaw Robin.

If Nami was here, maybe the entire crew was here, and they beat Aokiji. I rushed outside.

Man. He was stronger than anyone we ever faced against. Maybe the closest guys were Enel or Crocodile.

Enel and Crocodile lost to Luffy by himself.

However, this admiral's strength was on a different level.

To take out five of us like that with no problem. Robin, Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy got frozen. Yuuto didn't seem to get frozen, but he was getting overpowered.

I opened the door and saw Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto. But there was no Luffy.

Did Luffy lose?

"What are you doing? Where's Luffy? Where's Aokiji?" I was afraid of the possibilites.

Sanji answered. "Luffy wants to go one on one with Aokiji."

"One on one? Then you left him and came back like that." I was angry.

We should stick together.

"It was the captain's order." Yuuto said.

"So what. You can't just run away. Yuuto, you warned us how dangerous that man was. What are you guys scared?" I couldn't help but be disappointed in my crew. We needed to help Luffy.

It was Sanji who narrowed his eyes and slammed me to a wall. "It's mano a mano. Try to understand."

Looking at Sanji's eyes, I knew what that meant. This was a duel. The captain was fighting his life for our freedom.

If he lost, we would be able to go free. I sighed and breathed out.

Yuuto stepped in with his hand on Sanji's arms. "Sanji, let go."

"Oi. Stop it. This is not the time." I looked at Zoro who had a serious look. Sanji let go of his hold on me. I fell down."Now is the critical moment of our survival. We have to be careful of the result of this duel. Right now..."

Don't say it Zoro.

"We have to remain calm and prepare for the absolute worst."

Don't say that Luffy's going to die.

Yuuto closed his eyes. We all looked at him.

We knew that he could sense the fight. He then opened his eyes.

"It's over. Aokiji left." Yuuto said calmly. All of us breathed a sigh of relief.

"And Luffy?" I asked.

"We need to get him now." He said urgently. He started running. Zoro and Sanji followed.

"Why?" I yelled.

"He lost. Prepare another hot bath." Yuuto yelled.

* * *

Timeskip

 **Usopp POV**

After we got Luffy and Robin in stable condition, we cheered.

Sanji asked Chopper, "Hey Doctor Chopper." This whole situation was serious if Sanji addressed him by his role. "What can I do to help?".

"I won't get happy if you call me Doctor." Chopper cried out as his arms became wavy like flags. "Make something warm for them to drink or eat. Then we'll have them rest."

"Nami, should we set sail?" Zoro asked. This was like him to step up when Luffy didn't want to step up.

"No. Not with captain in the condition he is in. Even if the log is ready." Nami answered back.

"In that case, we should probably spend some time training before going over to the next island." Yuuto suggested. "Actually, we should probably set up disguises from now on."

"Why?" I asked.

"Aokiji mentioned that he wanted to confirm Robin is in our group. Meaning that people will be paying attention to our pictures and report us. We would fight more or deal with bounty hunters."

I groaned. That was going to be trouble. Good news I don't have a bounty, so I don't have to wear a disguise.

"Everyone should wear a combination of masks, wigs, glasses, or fake teeth. We should try to maintain a low profile." Yuuto continued.

"What do you mean? Only four of us need to wear them. You could also get away with it because it has your mask as a picture." Nami asked.

"That's right. I can show my handsome face to the ladies." Sanji yelled out.

Yuuto remained calm and continued. "Doesn't hurt to be careful. Also best for all of us to have some disguise. You never know there might be some secret reporters out there. It only gets harder from here on."

"I see." Nami agreed.

Zoro and Sanji nodded.

Man with all the strong people coming, are we going to handle them?

Zoro looked at me. "Usopp, go to sleep. You look tired."

That shook my thoughts. No. That's why we've been training. Besides, I am the great Usopp.

I shook my head. "I'm ok Zoro. Just thinking about the next place." I lied slightly. I couldn't let them know that I was afraid.

Yuuto smiled at that. "Good thinking Usopp. I believe the next island we are going to is called Water 7. I've actually been there before about 6 years ago. It's quite nice. We should check up what notes I have about that place."

"What do you remember about that place?" I asked.

"I remember a beautiful city developing a sea train." He smiled reminiscing it. "Oh it's also known for having the world's best shipwrights. We can definitely fix the Going Merry there. Maybe we can even upgrade it. We just need to go see the mayor ... what's his name... Iceburg. He's considered as the best shipwright in the entire world " He smiled.

I smiled. We were going to fix the Going Merry at last.

* * *

AN: I decided to show the results of their training using the Davy Back Fight and Aokiji's fight.

[1] I wrote a lot in Robin's POV because I feel that will be a good setup for character development in this chapter.

[2] Yuuto's just annoyed at Luffy for not really taking his advice. Think of it as I came back from the Foxy pirates for this?

[3] Just to say that everyone does think of Robin as part of the crew. More on that in the next arc.

[4] Haha. The real test to see how Luffy got stronger was Aokiji. I hope you guys didn't think it was Foxy.

Chopper and Yuuto both explained to him his gear second technique. Yuuto gave him a restriction on using this technique and to use it in extreme situations. Yuuto also advises him to focus on his natural strength and speed to help improve Gear 2.

I don't see how Luffy can beat Aokiji if he doesn't have armament haki yet.


	19. Chapter 19 Water 7 Galley-La

Disclaimer : What a surprise!

I don't own One Piece the manga. I don't own One Piece Chapter 927 (which is not out yet when I uploaded this to this website). Chapter 926 is out though.

Thanks for the previous reviews! You guys have been too nice.

We now reach Water 7! It was around this moment that I really enjoyed reading One Piece. The plot was amazing. You could really feel the emotions back then.

Here's hoping I do a good job with it as well.

* * *

Water 7/ Galley – La (Part 1)

4 days later

 **Robin POV**

Luffy and I had recovered well from our fight with Aokiji.

The time had given me a lot of time to reflect on what happened. I smiled a little bit. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto had come to defend me before I passed out. All the organizations I were in never defended me.

I was most surprised about Zoro and Yuuto defending me. Especially how when I first joined, they would make sure that I would not do anything to hurt the crew.

Maybe this crew really would be different.

As long as they don't know about my past.

I remembered Aokiji's words.

" _Every group Nico Robin has associated herself with has ended up completely annihilated, leaving her as the sole survivor."_

I shook myself. That wasn't going to happen this time. The strawhats were not going to die.

I just hope that they never find out about my past. If they do,...

Maybe they'll betray me.

I looked out the shore. Soon enough, we reached Water Seven.

I decided to dress more revealingly because I became comfortable with the crew. Before, I dressed modestly because I felt I had to fit in the crew. Now, I could dress more comfortably. I changed into a white polka dotted under dress with a short, black leather dress with long sleeves covering it. I wore some thigh heeled boots.

As I got ready to leave with Chopper, I saw the rest of the crew except Sanji out.

Knowing the cook, he would probably be happy about it.

I actually smiled when I saw Yuuto slightly blushed and turned away. He then gave me some fake glasses as a disguise. (AN: The same glasses she has in Opening 13 "One day")

He didn't say anything about it, but that was the type of relationship we had that started to develop.

We were not exactly friends but we were not exactly enemies. We were just acquaintances.

I looked over and saw Zoro. He didn't really say anything other than the fact that he looked away when he saw me. I wonder if he liked it or disliked it.

Luffy's and Usopp's reactions didn't really matter to me. They didn't seem to have noticed.

Chopper and I left the Going Merry to go buy some supplies for the ship and books for us to read during our time together. I never thought I could do something so simple and peaceful on a pirate ship.

We went to the markets, and I eavesdropped the conversations the people were saying.

As we walked, I pointed out, "Look Doctor. A bookstore!" I really enjoyed reading to him.

"Really." I smiled as Chopper quickly ran over there. "Can I go see?"

I didn't chuckle, but I wanted to. It was so cute to see him run over there. "Of course. Go ahead. I'm right behind you." He entered in.

I walked over to approach the bookstore happily. A man in a mask walked past me. He whispered. "CP9"

I turned around and looked around.

Shoot! I was recognized. I took off my fake glasses.

Sorry Chopper, but I have to follow him. He could hurt you really badly.

I ran up to him.

It was an awkward silence.

"Good. Don't talk to your crewmates. If you do, we'll kill them. Keep following me." The man said.

I nodded and stayed quiet. I could have run away before. But now, I wanted to protect them.

I don't think my crew can handle CP-9.

As we continued walking, I heard the cook cry "Robin -chan!"

Shoot not now. I held my head down as if I didn't hear him.

"Don't worry. Once we go around this corner, we won't hurt him."

I followed him. He opened some portal and I walked in.

I looked and only saw the masked man.

"I am Blueno of CP-9. We have 3 other CP-9 operatives. I'm sure you heard of us."

I nodded.

"We have permission from Aokiji to use the Buster Call on you and your crew."

My eyes widened.

"What! No. You can't do that." I yelled. You don't understand the power of the Buster Call. Even to this day, I still have nightmares about it.

"We won't. Unless you do something for us."

I held my head down.

I couldn't sacrifice them. I couldn't run away. Not this time.

"I agree. Just let me have one wish." I continued.

"And that is?" He said menacingly.

"That the other strawhats except me leave this island safely."

Even though I was scared, I smiled inwardly. This time, the group I was in was going to survive.

I've changed Aokiji. [1]

* * *

Earlier

 **Yuuto POV**

As we saw Water 7, I smiled.

It was just as beautiful as I remembered. I was hoping we could enjoy the sights after we get our ship fixed.

The current plan was like this.

Chopper and Robin were going to go to town. Chopper and Robin wanted to read books. I asked them to see if there were any martial art books for me to use. Only Robin had a slight disguise. She wore some fake glasses.

When I saw her before she left, I couldn't help but admire her body. She did look good in that outfit.

Just because I was admiring didn't mean that I was going to fall in love with her. I trusted her now, but it was hard for me to admit that to her. I was wrong about her when it was in Alabasta. As a guy, it's hard to admit that you're wrong.

Sanji and Zoro were going to stay and watch the ship. And we know how well that was going to work.

One of them was going to leave eventually. Still, one of them was good enough to watch over the ship.

I was going to go with Luffy, Nami, and Usopp to see Iceburg and his team. Nami and I were going to help negotiate. She was negotiating the price; I was negotiating to see if there was a way to upgrade the ship. Luffy was going to wear sunglasses to cover his eyes. Usopp was going to wear a gecko mask. I, on the other hand, put on some fake eye contacts and added something to my nose to make it look more pointed. I made my hair neatly combed and added two scars with makeup on top of my mouth and one across my left cheek.

It was a habit of mine to make sure that I did not look anything how I normally looked like.

I was also going to help them not get lost. The last time I came here, I was escorting a World Noble because he wanted to buy a ship. I did not need to do much talking, but it was quite impressive to see the work and craftsmanship in those ships.

Especially when I could never do such craftsmanship.

As we left, I noticed the yagara bulls and paid for 3 to carry them. Luffy rode one, Nami rode another one, and I rode the last one. Usopp was with Nami. We split it up like that because me and Luffy could take care of the gold that way.

As we made our way, I noticed a lot of people wore masks. Maybe all of us should wear masks.

As we went to the exchange store, Nami accurately deduced that we had 600 million berris worth of gold.

The man didn't want to give us that much but with me and Usopp looking intimidating and Luffy's bounty he gave us what we wanted.

Soon enough, we went along our way with money secure and made it to Galley-La Headquarters. I reminded Luffy, Nami, and Usopp what was going to happen.

"Remember that we are not going to mention our names. We want to maintain a low profile as long as possible."

Nami and Usopp nodded. When we went to turn to Luffy, he was already on the gate. He yelled out "Excuse me!"

Nami sweat dropped. I hoped this wasn't going to be trouble.

A fast employee with a rectangular nose came up. "Hey hold on! You're not from here. Let's talk outside."

As he put Luffy outside, he said, "So... what are you here for?"

The other three were surprised about his nose and how he looked like Usopp. Before they said anything, I went straight to business.

"Hi. We're merely travelers. We have a recommendation from Mrs. Kokoro of the shift station. We were wondering if Iceburg could help repair our ship." I handed him the letter we received earlier.

I analyzed him. He moved really fast. It was as fast as us. He was really strong too. Not as strong as Luffy, me, Zoro, or Sanji, but he could definitely give us some trouble.

"Oh... I see..." He read carefully and looked at us.

He was analyzing us too. I just ignored him analyzing us because it was probably normal for him to distrust us. These people have to take care of so many travelers and pirates that they always have to be careful.

"Do you know who Iceburg is?" Nami asked.

"How can I not? Iceburg-san is the mayor of Water Seven! I'm Kaku by the way." he continued.

"He is?" asked Luffy.

"Yeah. He's an important man. He's the president of the Galley-La company and manages the sea train. He's a very busy man. You just want your ship repaired right?" Kaku continued.

At least, he's helpful. He probably thinks that we are either harmless or that he can beat us. He also looked at the suitcases we had. We were going to provide good business.

"Yes." I answered.

He started stretching. "Where is it? I'll go check it out." I looked at the way he stretched. It seemed familiar.

"It's docked at the peninusula." Usopp hurriedly answered. I looked at him and smiled.

I know how worried he was about the ship. I put my arm around him to comfort him. "Don't worry. They'll fix it. I mean her" I knew that Usopp considered the ship as a friend.

"I'm sure we can. I'll go and check. That way you can start negotiating the price that way." Kaku continued.

"Check it out with the yagra bull?" Usopp asked.

"That's too slow. I'll be back in ten minutes." Kaku responded. He then sprinted. I replayed what happened.

Actually, he used soru.

I narrowed my eyes at that.

Rokushiki is meant only to be used for the government.

That meant that Kaku worked with the government in some way. This was going to be trouble. I don't see how he could learn it from watching people.

* * *

 **Usopp POV**

Luffy, Nami, and I were in shock how he moved that fast. It was like how Sanji used soru.

"Ah! He fell!" I yelled. I then looked at Yuuto, and he looked a little frozen.

I was about to ask but a masculine voice cut me off. "It's all right."

We turned around. We saw a man and a woman with glasses. The man continued. "He does that frequently. People call him 'Mountain Wind'. "

"That's amazing." I marveled. That was really cool.

"Kalifa?" The man turned to the woman.

"Yes. We have started an investigation on them. We will find out who they are."

"We're -" Luffy started shouting. He was cut off when Yuuto put his hand on them.

Yuuto interrupted. "We're travelers. We just want to see what the whole world looks like. We would like you to see repair our ship."

I looked at Yuuto. He looked more serious than we did after Kaku left.

Was something wrong?

Did he think they couldn't fix the ship anymore?

"I see. Well then, I am Iceburg, the mayor of this city." he introduced.

Kalifa, the secretary, continued, "May I remind you sir that these people could be dangerous. Also, don't forget about the appointments and meetings you have with the mayor of the Gourmet City."

"I don't want to go." Iceburg yelled childishly.

What an irresponsible mayor. He was like Luffy.

"I'll cancel that." Kalifa said obediently.

"He seems unreliable. This guy is the one that the old lady told us about right?" Luffy said.

You shouldn't be the one talking like that when Yuuto is being reasonable about us maintaining a low profile.

"Ill-mannered brats." I heard Kalifa cry out. She then started kicking us.

We would have received the blows if it weren't for Yuuto parrying those kicks. He did push us to the ground.

After parrying those kicks, He grinned at her. "Nice legs you have." That looked a little flirtatious.

This was weird, hearing Yuuto compliment a normal girl. He complimented Vivi, but he was not interested in going on a date with her. I looked at Kalifa more closely to see if she was really pretty.

She was wearing glasses and had her strawberry blonde hair in a bun. She did have an appealing figure.

Still, her face wasn't as pretty as Kaya or even Robin.

I then looked at Nami.

And Nami. I quickly added in case she heard my thoughts.

Kalifa did seem a little red but started shouting. "How dare you disrespect to the world's best ship maker." She then noticed the state we were all in. We were pushed to the ground by Yuuto while Yuuto was breathing to catch his breath. "I'm sorry. I lost my calm there."

Yuuto nodded. "I understand. However, I won't let you hurt my friends in front of me. My friend's an idiot, but he didn't mean anything by that comment." They made eye contact for a bit.

Kalifa then blushed at him and looked away. "But Iceburg is the hero of the city. Please show some respect." It seemed like she was acting like a little school girl.

Yuuto then smiled. "I see." He then bowed. "Then I will apologize to the pretty secretary on behalf of my crew for what they said." He then stopped bowing.

Well, I guess each person has their own taste. I never pictured Yuuto's ideal woman as a blonde.

I noticed Kalifa then turned noticeably more red and said quietly, "You don't have to do that.", turning away.

I saw Nami whack Yuuto playfully on the shoulder. I shook my head. Yuuto had some game. Sanji would be jealous of you right now. Luffy looked confused as to why we were doing that.

I'll tell him when he's older.

Nami then told Iceburg that we had a letter from the conductor.

He took a look and ripped it.

Was he going to reject our deal? Will the Merry be saved?

Luffy and Nami then pleaded with him to fix the ship.

He agreed so fast. I guess he's kind of like Luffy.

I then turned around to get the money and saw a bunch of people unconscious with Yuuto watching over the bags.

Yuuto then said, "These idiots tried to steal our money."

Phew. I don't know what would have happened if we lost our money and we couldn't help our friend.

"That's the Franky family." Iceburg said.

"The who?" Nami asked.

"They are professional ship dismantlers. They also work as bounty hunters and attack pirates who come here. They are a troublesome bunch." Kalifa continued.

"They didn't look so tough." Luffy commented.

"Those are just the small fry. The boss hasn't done anything lately. You should never underestimate Franky himself." Iceburg said. Yuuto raised his head hearing that name.

He sounded like trouble. I hope we don't meet him.

We were then led inside where we waited for Kaku to show up.

We met two other interesting shipwrights Paulie and Lucci.

Paulie seemed interesting. He seemed to have a money debt problem. I hoped he doesn't meet Nami.

He saw her. Too late.

He pointed at her. "What's wrong with you? You are so shameless. Showing your legs like that."

Well wrong reason.

Lucci was trying to calm him down. He was a ventriloquist with his pigeon talking. Kalifa then approached him. "Calm down Paulie!"

"Shit. Even Kalifa is wearing such a shameless sexy outfit." Paulie pointed out.

I heard Yuuto whisper, "At least those legs are nice to look at." He did look at her and the other carpenters more closely.

Nami didn't hear him judging from her reaction, but I did.

Oh. So our bodyguard was interested in the secretary. That sounds like a nice story I could tell about. A bodyguard protecting a mayor. Falls in love with the mayor's secretary.

That could make nice blackmail.

Yuuto then noticed me staring and gave me a look saying that we would talk later.

Wow. Is he asking me for advice how to ask her out? I'll help you out Yuuto no problem.

He then put the money between me and himself, so that we could keep an eye on it. I nodded.

Good thinking. We didn't want someone like the Franky family to steal it. He was also telling me that he wasn't going to be distracted.

Don't worry Yuuto. The Great Usopp is more than enough to handle them. You can go talk to Kalifa if you want.

If needed, the Great Usopp will make a great wingman.

After two more minutes of waiting and watching Yuuto stare at Kalifa and the rest of the crew, Kaku then arrived. "How much will the repairs cost? We have tons of money." Luffy asked.

"If possible, can you add something?" Yuuto asked.

"Please allow me to speak. First, you should have also mentioned that you were pirates. I met Zoro of the Strawhat pirates." Kaku said a little menacingly.

Zoro did refuse to disguise himself after all. Well, that could be trouble. Granted we started lying, but I am sure we would have had trouble when we had Luffy talk.

Luffy then took off his sunglasses.

"Ah. So you have Luffy, Nico Robin, and the Scheming Fox. Seems like we need to add a Gecko to that list." Kalifa added.

I then calmly lied. "Maybe, I'm the Scheming Fox."

Yuuto calmly stated. "Anyways, we are still travelers. We like to travel around the Grand Line. Besides, most importantly, we are paying customers." He motioned to Nami if he could open one case. She nodded.

"I'm sure you can understand why we have to be secretive. We'll pay a little extra if needed." He continued.

I know Yuuto well enough now. Even though that sounded perfectly calm and a stranger wouldn't pick up, there was something underneath there.

"There's no problem with that. Just a little honesty would have been appreciated." Kaku said.

Yuuto breathed out hearing that. That was an uncharacteristic breath of annoyance from Yuuto.

What was Yuuto's problem?

We were the ones who lied to them. Even though we had a valid reason, they were upset at telling the truth.

Yuuto was about to say something but stopped. "Fine. You're right. Please continue." He gave Kaku a slight glare. He also glared at someone else, but I couldn't tell who.

Kaku then continued. "Secondly, the truth is even we can't fix your ship."

I fell to my knees hearing that. I refuse to believe it.

"Even if we patch it up, the probability of making it to the next island is 0% because the keel is severely damaged."

Yuuto closed his eyes hearing that.

What does that mean?

"Listen." I was getting angry. I then grabbed him. "I don't believe you one bit. I believe in the Going Merry. It carried us here, and I'm sure you guys can repair it."

Paulie answered. "Gecko, do you know what a keel is?" I nodded. I had seen the keel on the Merry already. I saw the damage it had. "It's the support of the ship. When you build a ship, you have to start with it. The keel is the lifeline of the ship. If the keel is broken, you can't take it off. Replacing the keel is the same as building a new ship."

Still, I refuse to believe it.

"If you know the story behind our ship. I'm sure you won't be able to say things like that." I continued yelling.

Nami intervened. "Why don't we make a new Going Merry?"

Yuuto continued. "Because then that would be the same as making a new ship. We would feel that this is a different ship."

I understood why Nami thought that but I had to agree with what Yuuto said.

If I knew there was another Nami that replaced the original Nami, to me that would still be a different Nami.

"Correct. Your ship is a very old model. Even if it was new, the sea beyond here is too rough." Kaku said.

"I don't want a new ship. If you fix it, it'll keep going. I don't believe you. You have no idea how strong our ship is." Luffy yelled.

I was happy that Luffy and Yuuto were backing me up about the ship.

"Then you can just sit in that ship and sink with it." Iceburg looked at Luffy. "You're the captain of the crew right? Remember your responsibility."

I looked and saw Yuuto nod at that.

"That's enough talking for today. Think about it. Come back when you want to buy a new ship. With the 600 million you have, you could easily afford the best ship we can make."

"Iceburg." Another shipwright appeared. "You have company. They're government officials."

"Tell them. I'm not here." Iceburg said.

"Fufu. I knew you would be here."

Paulie motioned us to hide.

We looked at each other to decide. Yuuto didn't look that focused at our conversation.

"What do we do now?" I asked worriedly.

We were still going to sail on the Merry.

Luffy and Nami paused, thinking it through.

Yuuto didn't seem to be thinking about the ship. I looked at where he was staring at. He seemed that he was looking at the government official and other people. I followed his and saw that he was staring at Kalifa again.

"Yuuto. Focus about the ship. We can talk about the secretary later."

"What? I'm not... Oh. Nevermind, we should leave." He denied.

We made our way out of the dock. Yuuto then said, "Wait. Let me do something really quick."

He then walked around and pulled someone. It seemed that he was part of the Franky family. We were shocked. A group of them came out ready to fight.

"Let me meet your boss. Call him." He said. "You guys go back to the ship. I may have possible business here."

We looked at him confused. He continued. "This might help our ship problem. Call your boss now. Tell your boss this." He whispered something to his ear. The grunt he held looked scared and quickly called the Den Den mushi.

If it was for our ship, we nodded. We left a little to give some privacy.

I heard the grunt say, "Franky, the blue fox would like to help you go to the stairs of heaven to get some apples."

Annoyed, Yuuto grabbed the den den. "Sorry. It was supposed to be the black fox would like to make you a deal to go to the depths of hell to get some wood."

What was going on? We then left.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I didn't want my crew to hear this. This was a particular code phrase that the people in the Underworld use.

It was time to use some of my Underworld connections. I remember there was an Underworld purchaser at Water Seven named Franky. He was always interested in buying weapons.

There was a possibility that we were going to get a ship. Adam's wood was a good that could only be obtained with through the underworld.

As I waited for the reply was, I heard "I'm listening."

"I'll meet you in person. I'll give the den den back to your lackey."

"Don't beat him up." He tried to threaten me.

He should know better.

"I won't unless he provokes me."

"Here. It's for you." I gave it back to the lackey. After a couple seconds, he hung up.

He motioned me to follow him. I looked at the other Franky family members.

"Don't bother me or my friends. Your boss doesn't want to deal with me." The lackey nodded to his other comrades.

I followed him.

It was a quiet walk. The lackey looked scared. I smiled. Franky probably told him not to attack me.

That could give me time to think about this town.

This town was more troublesome than I first thought.

Is there going to be a time when I could just relax?

So far, I knew that Kaku and Kalifa worked for the government for sure. The government official who came in looked at them for a while, and there looked like there was a secret message going on between them. Kalifa's kicks were the similar to the kicks used for Rankyaku.

I was lucky that I was a bodyguard at Mary Geoise. I had sparred against CP-0 or other marines who knew rokushiki. [2]

Shoot. Kaku and Kalifa probably worked for some CP.

Chances are there's probably more of them here.

Knowing my luck, it was probably that Lucci guy too. He was much stronger than anyone here. Luffy and I would have my hands full with him.

Something about his name sounded familiar too.

Soon enough, I was at the Franky house. He opened the door and motioned me to go in.

I put on my mask. This was just like previous business. I walked in.

"Hello Black Fox." I saw a man with a mask sitting on a stool.

"Franky I presume." I rose my hand out. This was the first time we met.

"Yes. I was surprised to see someone who worked with the Underworld leave that life and join a pirate crew." He continued.

People who left that kind of work left because they were typically dead or paralyzed for life.

I noticed. "Yeah. Well, I retired because of an injury. Now it's healed. I'm a pirate now." I continued.

"I see. It's really surprising especially if your color is black. People at your level typically don't have long life spans."

I kept silent. My black mask represented that I was one of the best in the business. That's also why the mask had a downward spiral design to represent the work I did for the underworld.

I kept the mask as a reminder of what I had done in the past.

"They don't. When I retired at 26, I had done the 3rd most missions ever recorded in history. The people who had the top 2 records died before they even reached 30. Anyways I have a business proposition for you." I focused.

"Yeah you told me. You also joined an interesting crew. With Nico Robin. She's a dangerous woman."

I looked at him. His eyes narrowed at that. I groaned. Aokiji reported it then the government knew. He seemed to have said that part threateningly.

"She's fine and actually harmless." I felt the need to defend her. "Anyways, do you want to hear the deal I have?"

"I'm listening." He cooly said.

"Currently, my ship is about to die according to Galley-La's shipwrights. They say that the keel is broken." I looked at him.

He nodded. If he was a ship dismantler than that meant he agreed with what was going to happen.

So they weren't lying about that. Chances are the knockup stream broke the keel.

"I remember that the Underworld was selling some special wood that doesn't break. I was hoping you could buy the wood and give it to us. You will get a commission. I just need to let my captain know and his approval. The plan I have is to give it Galley-La to build it."

I looked at him. He took off his mask and seemed to be thinking about it. Eventually, the look on his face had a smile. It looked as if he was reminiscing the past. He then had some tears in his eyes but wiped them away too quickly.

I wasn't going to mention that he was acting like a crybaby.

"Deal."

I was slightly surprised how fast he said that. "I wasn't expecting you to accept so soon especially when I haven't offered the money yet."

"Well, let's say it's a dream of mine."

"Really?" That's interesting.

"I'm not going to tell you." I looked at him. He then pouted. "Fine. I'll tell you. Just one condition."

"Ok." I was hoping that condition would not involve me going on a job.

"Let me build and design the ship. You don't even need to give me a commission fee. Doing that will be fun."

This was good. At least, Nami would say that we don't have to pay extra.

Wait. What does a ship dismantler know about building ships?

* * *

At the Going Merry

 **Chopper POV**

Sanji and I made it back to the ship. I couldn't smell Robin or Yuuto. Yuuto was the only person who could help find her with his Observation Haki.

I apologized both to Sanji and Zoro. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left Robin's side." I was hoping I don't get yelled at.

This was not good.

"It's not your fault Chopper." Sanji said.

"Don't worry about it. We have a bigger problem. The Going Merry can't be fixed." Zoro said.

Sanji looked. "The ship is..."

"What! They can't repair it. Even if we pay them. But Yuuto said they were the best..." I was feeling really sad.

This was not a good day. It seemed to start when I lost Robin.

If only I weren't so careless.

"Are you sure he wasn't exaggerating?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah. Are you sure?" I didn't want anything to get worse.

"This is probably because when a person gets wounded, he can get stronger. For a ship, those injuries pile up." Zoro continued.

I nodded. Ships were not like people. Sanji said."I can't accept this. I wonder how Usopp will feel when he hears this."

"But I like the Merry!" I yelled defiantly.

"Everyone does. But there's no way to save it." Zoro calmly replied.

He could be so heartless sometimes.

"This afternoon is filled with trouble." Sanji said.

I sniffed the air. "Eh. They're back. Wait. Yuuto's missing!" I cried out.

"Where's Yuuto?" Sanji asked.

Usopp said, "He said he has business, but he said there's a way to fix our ship." He said hopefully.

"I don't see how he has to talk to this Franky guy. He seems bad news." Nami asked.

"I trust Yuuto. He always thinks of a way through." Luffy said.

"That's right." I encouraged. It was like Yuuto to think of a solution.

We made our way. We were waiting for Robin and Yuuto to come back.

Luffy's den den mushi rang.

"Hello! It's Luffy. The man who will be pirate king."

"Luffy. It's me. Don't answer like that. Wait for someone to introduce themselves first."

Usopp quickly took the mushi over. "Yuuto, is there a way for the Merry to be saved?"

A slight pause. "About that... I wanted to ask what you guys thought about getting a new ship."

"What! Yuuto I-"

"Usopp put me on speaker."

"Alright. Explain yourself to the crew how you're giving up on another crew member." Usopp yelled angrily.

We heard a sigh on the other end. "I went to another person for another opinion. Remember that he's a dismantler."

Nami nodded. "That's right. But he's destroys ships not builds them."

"Still, he knows whether it's good whether to destroy a ship or not. Listen, I have an idea that could help. Let me bring him to the ship to confirm and I'll talk more about the idea I have when I get there."

"It's fine. Yuuto. We trust you." Zoro said. Usopp was angry. Luffy nodded.

We hung up. Usopp then started yelling.

"I can't believe Yuuto. He's trusting strangers he's met today over us. The Going Merry can be saved. I know it!" Usopp yelled.

Luffy then got angry. "How would you know? You're not a shipwright." The rest of us stayed quiet.

"What are you talking about?" Usopp said.

"Yuuto told me to be observant. Didn't you see the shipyard? All the carpenters respected that main Ship-carpenter guy. That must mean he has some real skill for him to be respected like that."

I was impressed. Luffy wasn't the type to try and notice other people.

"How can you say that too Luffy! The Going Merry came all this way with us. The ship is a friend that sailed through. Yet you're going to let it die here!" Usopp yelled. He then continued. "Then the ship is just a tool to you isn't it."

"Stop Usopp." I cried out. I looked at Zoro, Nami, and Sanji. They didn't say anything.

"I've misjudged you Luffy." He stood up.

"Usopp wait. Calm down." Nami started to go between.

"I made my decision. We are going to get a new ship. The guy said that even if Merry was new, it wouldn't survive the rest of the Grand Line. It's my responsibility as captain to make sure you guys stay safe. That's something Iceburg and Yuuto talked to me about. We are saying good-bye right here." Luffy shouted.

Usopp grabbed Luffy. I was scared and hid behind Zoro. Usopp never wanted to hurt Luffy before. "Bull shit. I won't allow it!"

"Both of you calm down!" Sanji yelled. I heard Zoro give a sigh. Why wasn't Zoro stopping this fight?

Usopp ignored him. "I won't leave a comrade behind!"

"A ship and a person are two different things."

"They're the same."

Luffy pushed him back. "Don't talk like you know everything. You're not the only one who cares about Merry. If you don't like my decision, then leave you..."

Sanji then kicked Luffy.

Sanji why did you kick him?

"Luffy. Calm down. What are you thinking? Watch what you are about to say!" Sanji yelled.

Luffy sobered up. "You're right. Sorry. Listen Usopp…."

"No that's fine. Since that's what you really feel. Leaving behind crewmates one by one. If you want to leave this ship, then leave me behind too." Usopp then walked away.

"I quit." Usopp yelled.

What!

"Let's talk about this!" Nami yelled after him.

"Wait come back!" Sanji yelled.

"Don't leave us Usopp!" I started crying. This was turning to be a bad day.

Zoro said nothing.

Usopp then pointed at Luffy. "Monkey D. Luffy. I challenge you to a fight tonight at 8 PM. If I win, I take the Merry. In the meantime, don't let Yuuto destroy the ship."

Zoro finally said something. "So it's come to this." I glared at him. Now you say something?

Usopp left. Everyone went inside. I waited outside to see if Usopp would come back. 5 minutes later, Yuuto and a stranger came by.

Yuuto asked, "What happened? Where's Usopp and Robin?"

"Usopp got in a fight with Luffy about the ship. He left the crew. Robin... we don't know."

Yuuto froze a little bit. "I see. Well this is Franky. He'll look at our ship and I have a business proposal for him. That's Chopper our doctor. He always checks after me." Franky waved a little.

How could Yuuto say things like he ignored what happened? I looked at him. He knew what was going on through my head.

"Don't worry Chopper. Everything will be fine. I'll show Franky every part of the ship. I'll talk to the crew in the meantime about this." [3]

* * *

 **Franky POV**

Well this was interesting.

I came to see this ship to meet the pirate crew to see if it was worthy of receiving my ship that could sail the world.

I also wanted to meet this Nico Robin. Unfortunately, it seemed that she wasn't here right now.

Black Fox described her that although he wasn't close to her, she didn't hurt anyone in the crew since she joined. He mentioned that she did care about the crew.

That seemed different from what Tom and the newspapers said about her.

I must say I am not impressed with the crew so far even though I only met the doctor. He did care about the people on the crew though. Yuuto then showed me the men's quarters where I saw his captain and a girl.

"That's Luffy, my captain, and Nami. She's our navigator. I think she's trying to talk to him to get him to apologize."

When Yuuto said our, I kind of felt that I was included. I wasn't thinking about joining this crew at all.

That thought never came across my mind.

Well, it did when I met Black Fox. I looked at him.

For him to be able to leave his former life and follow this captain, meant that this captain and crew was special. I just have to see it.

During the entire walk, he talked so happily about every member of the crew.

Yuuto walked ahead, so I eavesdropped a little about the conversation between those two.

"Just apologize to him. We can solve this by talking it out." Nami said.

"Complain all you want. There's no turning back. Usopp's not the type to give his life for an argument." I saw Luffy turn to his side.

Well, at least the captain has a backbone to his girl. Also what he said about Usopp, another crew member, shows how close this crew was to know each other that well. It was kind of touching.

"Hey Franky. This is the kitchen. You'll meet Zoro and Sanji."

"So far. Interior is fine and can be repaired. Of course, Galley-La said the main problem is the keel."

"I know. But at least, this can help you design the ship." Yuuto continued.

I nodded at that.

I entered in. I heard two crew members argue. "Why didn't you say anything to stop this fight?" The blonde answered.

"Because both of them were being stubborn. They needed to resolve this." The green haired man responded.

Yuuto walked in. "I wasn't here when it happened, but I think I would have stopped it. Usopp's not the type to start the fight. Which it sounds like he started it."

Green haired man nodded. He had an impressive aura around him. He would have been my first guess as captain.

"Oh. It seems we have a guest." He noticed me.

"Yes. This is Franky. He's also looking over our ship. The blonde's Sanji and the swordsman is Zoro."

I nodded. I remembered what Yuuto said about them.

Sanji was a huge flirt and Zoro was very serious. I looked at him closer. Yuuto was right. Zoro does make a good first mate.

"Inside looks fine. It's not super but it could be repaired. The main problem is the keel which I can see signs of the keel being damaged inside. Galley-La is most likely right. I'll confirm it though."

Yuuto sighed. "I'll tell my crew about the deal then. You can go outside and stay at the deck."

"Yeah. If I get the money soon, I can buy it soon." It would take at least 2 hours to get there and back.

"Did someone say money?" Nami then appeared.

"I'll expand more on what I was going to say earlier. Let's get Luffy and Chopper here."

"I'll go check the keel." I left their pirate business.

Even though I had seen some of the terrible repairs on the ship, I could tell each one of them cared about the ship.

I went outside the ship and touched the ledge.

It was unfortunate, but it served its purpose. I heard an unfamiliar voice. "I still want to go on."

"Who's there?" I called out. No one answered.

Thinking that I was going crazy, I dived under and saw the keel.

It's going to get worse. There's no way for the ship to make it to the next island.

It went a long way here. For a ship to go through its lengths showed a lot about the ship.

As I got back to tell them, "Have you decided?" I asked.

Yuuto was clear that this was a possible business proposal. No guarantees that I could fulfill my dream.

Luffy nodded and said, "So you're going to buy us wood to build a ship that can't be destroyed."

I nodded. This crew could sail the whole world with my ship. They cared about this ship. I am sure they would care about my ship.

"How much do you need?" Nami asked.

"I need 300 million for the wood that's planned out. And an extra 100 million for what Yuuto suggested." I said. I smiled at him. He had some great ideas about the ship for the Strawhats.

"What did you suggest Yuuto?" Nami asked.

He gave a sigh and then a half smile. "You'll see. It'll be a nice surprise."

I nodded understanding why that smile wasn't as bright as before when we talked about it on our way.

Nami handed me the money. I counted it. "Thanks. You won't regret this decision Nami sis."

She looked at me weirdly but I ignored it. It just came out naturally.

"I'm also going to need the Going Merry." I told them. Yuuto knew why.

"What. Where are we going to stay?" Nami asked.

However, Yuuto raised his hand. "It's fine. He's not going to destroy it. He told me."

I smiled at that. "I promised I won't destroy it." I wanted to tell them what the surprise was going to be, but Yuuto was right. Seeing this, they needed a nice surprise to lift up their moods.

"Sorry. Our idiot captain has to fight Usopp for it. Usopp challenged him to a duel about it." Sanji said.

I looked at Luffy. He nodded. "I see." I replied. "Then, don't lose captain. You'll regret not giving me the ship."

I grabbed the money and hurried to the train station. [4]

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

After we had dinner on the ship, Yuuto announced, "Alright, we got bigger problems now that our ship's taken care of." Yuuto said.

"Right. Like finding Robin." I said with hearts in my eyes.

I was over-exaggerating here to lift up the mood.

I looked at Luffy. He wasn't laughing at me.

Nami looked at the mood "No. Not that." She wasn't in the mood.

"Actually, yes it could be related to that. You see. I believe CP-9 is here. They might have found Robin"

Robin was in danger! I stood up, however, Yuuto held me back.

"What's CP-9?" Zoro asked. Good question.

"They're a secret Cipher Pol organization with the government. They are allowed to kill citizens."

"How do you know they're here?" Chopper asked. He looked worried.

I put a hand on him. There's no way he would have figured out that people were after Robin. I remember how worried he was when I found him about Robin.

"They have a very distinctive fighting style. They use Rokushiki." Yuuto said. I froze at that.

I remember reading Yuuto's notes for that. "That's supposed to be a martial art style that's taught only to the marines."

"Right. And people who work for the government.." He smiled at me. I had only figured out how to use Soru out of the six styles.

"How do you know they use that fighting style?"

"Because Kaku used soru. It's a very distinctive stance." Yuuto continued. "Luffy and Zoro might have seen it. Sanji please demonstrate. It should be done exactly the same way."

I demonstrated. "That's exactly the same speed Kaku had" Nami said.

"Not just that. Sanji did the exact same movements as that rectangular nose guy." Luffy confirmed. Zoro nodded.

Yuuto pulled out the notes for Rokushiki. "Everyone read these 6 styles for them. We also need to talk about how many members. There has to be at least 4 here. "

"Do you know who?" Luffy asked.

"I know 3 of them. Seeing that the 4th probably picked up Robin. The other three are Kaku, Kalifa, and possibly Lucci."

"What but.." Nami pointed out. Yuuto raised his hand.

"I noticed their interactions. I also acted friendly to drop their guard." Nami looked at him disbelievingly.

What happened earlier. What did Yuuto say?

Why do I feel that a lady was involved?

"That pigeon guy makes sense. He was super strong." Luffy interrupted

"I know. Kalifa is one because she used some kicks that resembled Rankyaku."

Nami had read the description. "A kick that can cut air."

"It's a compressed air kick. Read them later. Right now, we are assuming that they kidnapped Robin." Yuuto continued.

"So let's get her back." Luffy answered. I rose.

"Unfortunately, we can't do that. You have a duel with Usopp soon. Remember." Yuuto said angrily.

"We should tell Usopp." Chopper said.

"And the rest of us can go." I said. Robin was in danger.

Yuuto slammed his hands on the table. "We are going to need Luffy's strength to help us. Their four against us. We should win."

"Alright so after Usopp." Luffy nodded.

"Maybe we won't even fight Usopp once he knows of this." Chopper continued.

"He told us that he left the crew remember." Yuuto said the last part threateningly.

I closed my eyes. Agreeing with Yuuto's sentiment.

"Yeah. But I'm sure if you explained it to him, he'll understand and help us." Nami said.

Luffy nodded.

Zoro then stood up and yelled. "Leaving a crew means you cut off all ties with it." Yuuto then sat down.

Yuuto wasn't being a kissup to Zoro. He knew his boundaries of what he should say. He was involved with planning for events.

Even though he went ahead with Franky, he checked with all of us to see if we were actually ok with the idea of a new ship. That's when we gave him the actual money.

Zoro was acting as a proper first mate in charge of making sure the crew was together if our captain couldn't.

Not that I would admit that in front of him.

Zoro continued and pointed at Luffy. "Luffy, you shouldn't act so carelessly." He then walked over to Luffy. He tapped him. "Remember he's our captain. We have to respect him" He then grabbed Luffy's cheek and pulled it.

A little hypocritical here, but he's proving his point.

"We don't come to him to help us. He needs to come back to us and then do what we need him to do. As such, Usopp needs to apologize to our captain."

"But Zoro." Nami answered.

"Is leaving a crew an easy thing to do?" Zoro yelled again.

"Nami san." I said regretfully and solemnly. I couldn't protect Nami this time. "What he is saying is right for once."

Yuuto nodded.

Zoro then went to Luffy. "I don't mind you being easy going. But if my captain is going to let other people walk over him, then I'm leaving the crew next."

"But that won't solve anything." Nami said.

"If that idiot wants to come back in, that's fine. But, if he doesn't make distinction of the current events and apologizes, then I won't forgive him. It would be better for us to leave this island. This is something that Usopp needs to do by himself. Not with us telling him." He then drew out his swords.

Yuuto and I agreed. Chopper and Nami both gave a sigh.

"We are not playing pirate games here anymore."

Luffy nodded.

We looked at the time. It was five minutes to 8 PM. We all stood out quietly waiting. [5]

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

"Don't come down. All of you!" I yelled.

I needed to finish this quick to find Robin.

A smoke appeared. I saw him in the smoke.

"You look determined. I hope you don't regret your decision. This is what you want." I shouted at him.

"Stop pretending and come get me. I came prepared. I know you and your abilities."

Same goes for me.

I then ran up to him, ready to punch him

He then coughed out blood. I stopped.

It was actually ketchup.

He then said, "It's foolish to pity your enemy and leave yourself vulnerable." I then saw blinding light from a flash dial.

I was then pelted by a couple spiky bullets.

I started bleeding a little bit.

" _I see an island!" I shouted excitedly._

" _Wow awesome what kind of island is that?" Usopp replied just as excited as I was._

I needed to stop remembering what I did with Usopp. Usopp is an enemy now.

Usopp then shouted, "Here's something spicy for you."

I felt something go in my mouth and blew out fire. As I fell down, I felt myself stabbed by spikes.

Usopp really planned ahead.

I then started running toward him, but I smelled gas.

I then saw an explosive bullet.

" _I am Usopp. The captain of the Usopp pirates." He introduced himself to show off._

I laid on the ground. I needed to stop holding back.

" _Luffy, let's go fishing!" He asked me._

I then stood back up and got ready to punch him. I saw him grab an impact dial.

I redirected my punch in time and punched behind him.

I knocked him out.

"Idiot." I yelled. "You knew there was no way you'd win." I fell on my knees

This was a hollow victory.

I got up and then walked away. "I'm not giving the Merry back to you."

" _We'll go to Elbaf!"We both cried together after Little Garden._

"Good-bye Usopp!" I said.

At that, I started sniffling and walked back to the ship.

"It's heavy..."

I couldn't look at my crew right now.

I heard sniffles from Nami and Chopper.

"It's a captain's burden." Zoro answered. "Don't hesitate. Who can we rely on if you falter?"

I started crying.

"Let's leave the ship to Franky. We can't return to the ship." Zoro continued.

Yuuto called out. "We shouldn't engage the enemy. Not like this." He said. He was talking about me. "I'm sure Robin will be fine."

We all checked in a hotel. We tried to stay calm but couldn't with the recent events.

* * *

AN:

That's Water Seven Part 1. Hope I did a good job as I felt when I finished reading through.

[1]

It was fun to write Robin's POV. I did hope my last statement was clear that I was referring to what happened in the previous chapter with what Aokiji said.

[2]

Yuuto's past does play a role in this arc. He knows how CP9 fights and he knows OF Franky (not that Yuuto knows Franky) because of the underworld connection.

I also tried to incorporate some code. Just some ideas I threw out.

As a reminder Yuuto's old job, he was a bodyguard for hire working with the World Nobles primarily. Because he lived at Mary Geiose, his services would be required for Reverie and he gets assigned a kingdom to help protect.

His job as a bodyguard for the World Nobles not only involves him protecting World Noble but for him to get whatever the World Nobles want. That may include paintings, artifacts, and people.

This won't be the only time that his past plays a role in the story.

[3]

Chopper is meant to feel guilty because he's a little kid. Even though Robin left (which wasn't because of Chopper), he feels that it's his fault and guilty. That is how I felt when I was a kid but it wasn't really my fault. Just wrong person, wrong place, and wrong time.

[4]

There's Franky's POV. I didn't like the direction of how I planned if I made Franky an enemy at first.

So everyone on the Strawhats has a better impression of Franky compared to how the manga started out.

I hope you guys like this version.

Expect Franky, Chopper, and Brook(when we get there) to get more development as the chapters continue. I unfortunately feel those three haven't developed as much as the first five members. The first five members will get their moments when it comes. There is a lot of focus on Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Robin (which they deserve) but I will try to develop the others as much as I can.

Robin definitely plays an important role throughout this entire arc though and will be written a lot. Expect less Robin after we are done with this entire arc.

[5] Yeah. I feel that even the Strawhats know who is the real first mate of the crew. It's unspoken but I'm sure it's clear among all of them. No one oversteps the boundary.

Sanji has a grudging respect for him not that he'd admit it.

Feel free to leave a review! I hope for some constructive criticism/feedback. Please be specific.

There's also other things that I typed but I'm not going to make a note for. I would like to know what your thoughts about some certain things that happened in the story.


	20. Chapter 20 Water 7 Part 2

Disclaimer: I only own Yuuto.

I don't own One Piece in any way. Nope, not even chapter 928 (which is not out yet as of this chapter being released.)

* * *

Water Seven Part 2

Next Day

Hotel Room

 **Yuuto POV**

Last night had been useless. Sanji and I couldn't find her. Luffy wasn't ready to fight. Zoro, Sanji, and I were rattled up; not that we would admit it. The fact that I couldn't sense her with observation Haki showed how rattled up I was.

If I was still working at my previous job, I probably would have been calmer and able to fight. Still, it shows how human I was to show emotion. I know a lot of pirate crews that would have ignored what was going on and kept going.

I checked the train station that night. No train had left for an island. However, there was a train scheduled for Enies Lobby tonight at 11 PM.

This was not good. I forgot about Enies Lobby. It was close by here. It's not normal that a train would leave for Enies Lobby by 11.

I checked the newspaper. Iceburg was attacked. It's too much of a coincidence that she went missing and then Iceburg was attacked.

Robin and CP-9 must be working together.

Does that mean Robin left us too?

I quickly disguised myself. I dyed my hair to be brown. I then put in brown eye contacts. I rushed making the disguise.

I told Nami and Zoro to make sure they and Luffy don't leave the hotel. Luffy and Zoro had bounties and Nami did not disguise herself yesterday. If they have to leave, make sure they disguise themselves and go to Franky's place. Only Sanji and Chopper could leave the hotel without their disguise.

I told them of the possibility of what was going to happen.

I ran to where the company was.

From the reporters outside, it seemed that Iceburg was still alive. I would just need to sneak in, talk to Iceburg about my suspicions, and not get caught.

Maybe, I could find one reporter that I could disguise myself as.

Perfect. I found a brown haired male.

When he was walked away from the crowd, I grabbed him from behind and gagged him until he was unconscious. I put him beside a tree, so it looked like he was sleeping. I took his badge, camera, and notebook.

I was now Sato Riku working for Umazi news.

I soon made my way outside the door and asked along with other reporters. I just repeated the questions they asked.

The secretary Kalifa answered the door. "We will only let one reporter go in for the interview. That will be Umazi news."

I breathed. I couldn't believe my luck. I walked forward.

"You look different today Riku." She said. Shoot, she must have talked with Riku before.

Iceburg must have to deal with the media.

I sweated. "I changed my hairstyle." I hoped she didn't notice. I also lowered my voice from what I sounded like yesterday.

She giggled. "I like it."

Maybe I did a better job disguising myself. [1]

"Thanks. You look beautiful as always." I said. Even though she was an assassin, I had to pretend that I was a news reporter. Complimenting her would draw suspicion away from me.

"Thanks. That's ..." she stopped. She looked at me and blushed.

"Does Iceburg remember what happened? Who attacked him?" I ignored her look and asked. I hoped I wasn't out of character.

"Yes." She responded. "It was Nico Robin of the Straw Hat pirates. There was also someone else. We think it's the Scheming Fox."

I froze. That was going to make it complicated, but I know I didn't do it. "Why do you think so?"

"They left a fox mask."

"I see. Well. We'll make sure those pirates pay for it." I had to keep up the pretense. I'll look at the fox mask later. There's no way it's exactly the same as mine.

I followed her as she led me to the door. All of the main shipwrights were leaving the door.

"Here. Let me open the door for you Riku." She offered.

"No. Allow me. I can't have a beautiful lady like you do that for me."

She laughed. "You seem different today. You seem more charming than normal today. Don't tell me you forgot about your wife and two kids?" She teased.

Shoot. This could be bad in the future and I pretended to blush if I didn't already. "I didn't. Still doesn't mean I can't be a proper gentleman." I lied quickly while looking at her directly.

She kept her composure well. She was an assassin after all. "Very well." She said.

I opened the door. "After you."

"Iceburg. I brought Riku from Umazi news."

I followed in. "Hello Iceburg-san!"

"Yes. Welcome Riku! Wait you're not Riku." He looked at me more closely. [2]

Shoot. I got caught.

"What do you mean sir?" Kalifa asked. She looked at me more closely. I started sweating.

"That's not Riku. But he does have the Umazi news badge." Iceburg said.

Wait. I can work with this.

"Sorry. Riku's not feeling well. I'm actually Uesugi Fuutarou. I'm just his replacement for today." [3]

Uesugi Fuutarou was just an alias I commonly used.

"Oh. Then why did you lie to me?" Kalifa asked.

I sweatdropped. "Because I didn't want to miss my chance to talk to you or Iceburg."

Maybe I lied too quickly there. I just implied something.

Kalifa asked, "Me? I can understand Iceburg but why me?" She did seem to assume why though. She did look cute with her cheeks becoming red.

"Because you're pretty." I said truthfully and going along with it. Even if she was an assassin, the way she conducted herself with her glasses made her look nice, sophisticated, and serious. Her hair in in a bun made her look elegant, but I was more curious how she would look with her hair down.

There was a certain charm in her.

Even if she was an assassin.

"I see." She then turned away, unable to face me. I guess her emotion training wasn't out of her system.

She still showed some emotion.

Iceburg looked at the interactions between us. "You know Kalifa. I'm surprised you haven't told him that was sexual harrassment. You normally do that when someone compliments you or says your name." Iceburg noticed. He then looked at her more closely. "Is my secretary developing a crush? Do I need to free up my secretary's time so she can go on a date?"

No. I am not going on a date with an assassin or a government employee. Especially if she finds out that I'm a pirate.

Luckily, she also refused. "Sorry Iceburg-san. I am too busy tonight."

I made a mental note of that. Something was probably going down tonight.

Is it connected with the special train leaving for Enies Lobby tonight?

I coughed. "Anyways. Iceburg. Please tell me what happened."

"Right." He recounted the story of how he met Robin and my impostor.

I asked him, "Describe the Scheming Fox. His build. Let's compare it to his bounty picture."

"Why?" Kalifa asked.

"We should make sure it's the same guy. The news should report the truth." I said the last part with a little anger toward her. It was meant toward the government but we knew how much the news changed because of the government.

"If Nico Robin was there, then it's probably the same guy. He was wearing a fox mask. We confirmed that Nico Robin was part of the Strawhats. They're both on the same crew." Kalifa answered.

I narrowed my eyes at that but ignored it.

"Right. But that would just be an assumption. A good reporter needs to report the truth and the facts." I needed to keep up the pretense.

"Here's the mask we found last night" Kalifa noticed. I took a picture of it with the camera. It was a black fox mask like mine, but it didn't have the same downard spiral that my mask normally had.

Either way, my use of masks hurt me as well. Not many people would be able to tell the difference of the masks.

I then grabbed the bounty picture and compared it to the mask we had.

"There is a difference between the two masks. This mask is different in the picture." I pointed them out.

"So it's not the same person?" Iceburg asked.

"What if he just uses different masks each time?" Kalifa asked. She really was trying to pin this on us.

"Why change a mask if it's meant to conceal an identity? Why not be consistent? I don't know I could be wrong too. We are assuming the purpose of the mask is to conceal his identity." I mentioned the last part. I didn't want to fight about this. I looked to see what else I could use.

"Also, notice the build. You said big man. Big as in large right? The one wearing the mask in this picture doesn't seem large. The man in the picture is more slender." I also pointed that out.

Iceburg nodded. "Correct. Now that I think about it, the members we saw yesterday were too skinny to be who attacked me yesterday. But we don't know the other members of their crew."

I nodded and agreed with that. I didn't think of anything to say to help defend my crew.

"Alright. Is there a possible motive why they would do such a thing?" I asked.

Only Iceburg or Kalifa knew if they were willing to share. "No idea." he said.

Kalifa then said, "They came yesterday. They wanted us to fix their ship, but we couldn't do that."

Clever. She wanted me to make my own conclusion. That way I would believe it and report it like that. "So they got upset? That's kind of childish." I said. I knew we wouldn't do that. However, I couldn't say anything I wasn't supposed to know.

This is always annoying. Eventually, someone gets caught when they accidentally blurt out something they don't know.

Like how Kalifa accidentally mentioned that Nico Robin was part of the Straw-hats now. That wasn't on the news yet. The only one who confirmed it would be Aokiji.

"I doubt that's the case. I would like to rest now." Iceburg said.

I looked at him. He did know, but he's not telling us.

Everyone and their secrets.

"I see. I'll take my leave now. Iceburg-san I hope you get better soon." I sincerely wished him well. He was caught in the cross fire.

"I will. Kalifa please escort Fuutarou out." he said.

"I'll be fine. You don't have to Kalifa." I said. I should leave quickly in case I get figured out. I started walking away.

"I'll stay here with you Iceburg-san." Kalifa said.

As I left, I heard a whisper from Iceburg and Kalifa shook her head no. I exited out not wanting to think what they were saying.

As I almost made it out the mansion, I heard running footsteps. It was Kalifa based off of my observation Haki.

Please don't figure out who I am.

"Wait! Fuutarou!" I looked at her. She was panting a little.

"Yes Kalifa?" I asked in a worried manner.

She started blushing. "Would you like to get a cup of tea with me later today?"

I paused. I didn't want to go on a "date" with her. I could use this to get information. However, she could be trying to kill me.

"When?" I asked. Inwardly, I facepalmed. What am I doing?

Why did I accept? Did I actually want to get to know her?

I really shouldn't. I am sure she's going to kill me if she finds out who I am.

"How about 3:30 PM at the cafe by Olive street?" She continued.

"Ok." I nodded.

I walked away. I could feel her looking after me. I hope she's not looking at me and figuring out who I am.

I returned the stuff I took from Riku. When I was sure that I was not being watched, I called everyone to meet at Franky's.

* * *

20 minutes later

 **Franky POV**

I came back from Poplar Town where I ordered Adam's wood. As I got off the train, I heard two things. One was Aqua Laguna was coming. Second was Iceburg was attacked by Nico Robin and the Straw hats.

If I hadn't met the Straw hats last night, I would have believed it was them. Now,sen I wasn't too sure.

They weren't the type to attack without a reason. Why would they attack Iceburg unless they worked with the government.

I strongly doubt they would work with the government. Especially Yuuto if he just got out from working with the World Nobles.

As I walked back, I went to where the Straw hats' ship was and took it back. I saw someone staring at me. "Come out!" I yelled.

It was a guy who looked like that "mountain monkey" with his long nose.

"What are you going to do with the ship?" He asked.

Was this Usopp that Yuuto was talking about?

"I'm going to work on it." I didn't want to ruin the surprise.

"Who are you?"He asked.

"I'm Franky the dismantler."

"What? I can't let you touch the ship then." He answered scared at what I was going to do.

"I have the Strawhats' permission to." I calmly answered. "Don't worry. I'll-"

He interrupted me. "Over my dead body. I am the Great Usopp."

He looked beaten up but mainly really tired. I sighed. He wasn't in a great condition.

The surprise was for him most of all according to Yuuto.

I really like the bonds you guys have. But sorry. I'm going to have to rough him up a little.

"Wait Franky!" It was Yuuto.

"Yuuto. How could you guys give him the ship? He's not one of us." Usopp yelled.

He groaned. "You're not one of us now. What we do is our own business." He stared at him coldly.

They must have fought and he left. That makes sense why he didn't want to give me the ship and why he didn't know.

"The Going Merry is my business." Usopp said.

"You lost the duel. Give it up." Yuuto continued.

He then knocked Usopp out unconscious with a strike.

"Sorry." I felt he said that more to him than to me. "Franky. Did you hear the news? Only Nico Robin attacked Iceburg. The rest of it is not true."

"Prove it to me." I challenged him.

It was going to be hard for me to beat him.

"Here's the picture of the mask they found. Compare it to my mask. You'll see"

I looked. I didn't find the downward spiral showing that it was someone who worked in the Underworld.

I sighed. This is complicated. "Is Iceburg alright?" I was worried about him.

"He's fine. Can we hide in your place?" He asked.

"Yeah. That's fine. Do you have any idea who did it?" I was trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"Government officials. I think it's CP-9." He continued.

Shoot.

Bakaburg. You better make it out of this.

"Listen. You don't want to get involved, but this is going to be really complicated." Yuuto said.

I probably am involved. After Iceburg, they might come after me if they figure out who I am.

I nodded keeping up the lie.

"We're going to try and keep Iceburg alive. We are going to figure out why Robin was there." He added.

I nodded. Maybe the Straw Hats knew something. In the meantime, I took the ship and began preparing for myself. I'll see if I can eavesdrop on their conversation. Maybe I should stock up on some cola.

* * *

 **Robin POV**

I used my powers to find the members of the Strawhats.

I was going to say my good-bye.

It was for their own good.

I was looking for Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper. Anyone else would have been harder to lie to.

I knew it would be hard to speak to Luffy and Zoro. I could talk to Yuuto, but Yuuto would read me.

Luckily enough, I found both Chopper and Sanji.

I stood across where they were going.

"Robin!" They both cried when they realized I was there.

"Where have you been? Everyone was worried." Chopper said.

"Let's go back to the inn. We should leave." Sanji said.

I paused. I was ready to be the woman the world knew me as before I met the Straw Hats.

The emotionless woman who would betray her comrades because she was a threat to the world.

""No... You're fine staying where you are." I said as emotionless as I could.

I used to be able to do this so easily. What happened?

I continued. "I won't ever be returning with you all. So let's say good-bye in this town."

"What? Robin?" Chopper asked with his eyes open.

"What are you saying? Is it because of the news? Don't worry. We don't believe what the papers say." Sanji tried to reassure me.

I nodded and closed my eyes. If I continued staring into Chopper's cute face, this was going to be harder. "True. I'm sorry for having you all be held responsible for something you've got nothing to do."

Focus Robin. Remember it's for their safety now.

"However, the papers weren't lying. I really did sneak into the mayor's house last night." I said as threateningly as I could.

Sanji gasped. "What?"

"There's a darkness surrounding me which none of you know. That darkness will destroy you all some day." I continued. It was a heavy burden.

I didn't want them to fight the government.

Sanji looked shocked. "Is it -"

I interrupted him. "Right now. I'm planning to frame you all for this incident. I will then run away."

"Why are you doing this?" Sanji shouted. "Is it CP-9?"

I almost narrowed my eyes for a moment. How did they know? Did CP-9 hear them? However, I quickly pretended I didn't know them. "I don't know who CP-9 is." I lied. If they did know, they would get involved. If they got involved, they would try to fight CP-9. They weren't ready to handle CP-9.

Nor did they have a chance against the Buster Call. "Why I'm doing this is not necessary for you to know."

Please don't come after me. I inwardly pleaded.

I continued on. "It's been a short time. But please tell the others." I paused. To all of the Strawhats for watching over me. "I'm thankful to you all for treating even a woman like me so well."

I said the last part earnestly. It was the least I could do.

I then pretended to be the woman I was before I met them again.

I turned away from them.

As I walked away, I could hear them try to chase after me.

Even now. When I told them what was going to happen, they still tried.

I wanted to look back, but I couldn't. Not with their lives at stake.

"Farewell." I said.

I then walked into Blueno's door portal leaving them behind.

* * *

 **Chopper POV**

After what just happened, I found Franky's secret warehouse. I tracked my crewmates' scent. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Yuuto were already there.

"Where's Sanji?" Yuuto asked.

"We saw Robin. After that, he went somewhere. He's going to do something now." I reported.

I then recounted the entire story. Yuuto asked me some questions for clarification.

"Is that true? Robin really said that?" shouted Luffy.

I held my head down first and confirmed the story.

If only I kept a closer eye on Robin, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Zoro patted my head to comfort me. He then continued. "All of us should have prepared for the possibility." We all paid attention to him.

"We first met Robin as an enemy but let her on the ship. It can't be the case that she suddenly got scared and decided to run away from us." He looked different than normal.

Then again, we have never been in this situation. "I think the time has come for us to settle whether she is a friend or foe." Zoro continued.

We all stared at each other, but Yuuto stared at Zoro. Yuuto then continued. "What if she's being threatened by CP-9?"

Zoro paused, contemplating what was said. "In that case, we have to find out tonight. The way she said, sounds as if the situation is going to be worse. Maybe -"

"They will assassinate Iceburg for real tonight." Nami interrupted, finishing the thought.

"Not only that, but there's a train for Enies Lobby tonight." Yuuto pointed out. "Enies Lobby is the island where it leads to Impel Down and Marine Headquarters. There's no reason for a train to go to Enies Lobby normally."

"So we are dealing with the government here?" Nami asked.

Yuuto nodded. "It's too much of a coincidence."

"Still. We should try and stop the assassination tonight." Luffy said.

"But that's what she wants. If we were there, we would take the blame." Zoro said.

I kept quiet, unsure what to say. The whole thing was complicated and it was my fault.

If I hadn't let Robin out of my sights, she would still be with us and we wouldn't be in this situation. [4]

"Hold on!" Nami started. "You're talking as if Robin is the enemy."

I gasped at Zoro. How could he consider Robin as an enemy?

"I'm not." Zoro calmly replied. "I'm only talking about the possibilities. Whether we believe or doubt her, to lean toward one side is to slow our reaction if and when the truth is the opposite. If something's going down tonight. Should we go?"

I looked at Zoro when he had said that. He seemed to have been deciding what to do with how he felt. I then looked at Luffy.

It was ultimately Luffy's call.

"We go" Luffy said.

"Let me give you the layout of the building. I'm not going with you guys. There needs to be a backup plan." Yuuto said.

We looked at him. He then discussed what his backup plan was.

After discussing it, we agreed. He soon left to carry out his side of the plan. We were meant to find out about Robin. I looked at the time. It was 3:00.

* * *

7 hours and 10 minutes later

Iceburg Room

 **Nami POV**

Zoro opened the door with his swords out.

Luffy cracked open a wall. I smiled realizing that he was alright. He had separated from us.

I looked into the room and gasped.

Yuuto was right, but I still couldn't believe it.

Iceburg did have government spies.

The carpenter who entered with Luffy yelled. "What the hell is going on here?" I looked at him.

I felt sorry for him to experience this betrayal.

He pointed at his friends. "It's as if you guys are dressed up as the ones after Iceburg's life." He could only say.

I could only try and understand the betrayal he felt.

Then again, I saw Robin with them there. Seeing it with my own eyes was hard. Maybe I did know what kind of betrayal he felt.

I sighed trying to collect my thoughts. Is this what my crew felt when I left them for Arlong?

I really did have a good captain and crew to forgive me after what I put them through.

Luffy and Zoro nodded at each other with little surprise. I looked at Chopper who breathed calmly. He didn't meet them before, so he took it pretty well. If Yuuto didn't tell us about this, we wouldn't have been prepared for this.

The pigeon carpenter started talking. "Paulie. The truth is that we are secret intelligence agents of the government. If this is too sudden for you to believe, shall I step on Iceburg's face for you?

He smiled maliciously. Paulie yelled, "So Lucci, you could talk! How dare you make a fool of me all this time?" Paulie then roped him.

I heard Lucci cry out "Shigan!"

I gasped. Yuuto's notes showed that those techniques could pierce through human flesh.

Paulie started bleeding.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet Paulie." Lucci said cruelly.

I noticed Paulie's face. He was reminiscing the memories he made with them.

I noticed Lucci point his finger again.

"Stop!" Luffy yelled out. He kicked Lucci.

Lucci held his foot.

Luffy immediately responded with his gatling technique.

Lucci focused his body. As I heard the punches, I saw how his punches seemed to bounce off. They didn't seem to do any damage.

That must be Tekkai.

I looked at Luffy. He gave Robin a quick look.

Lucci then disappeared and did his Shigan technique again.

I gasped in shock. That finger by itself pushed him far.

What monstrous strength.

If Luffy was a normal human, he would have been killed.

Luffy then shouted. "Didn't you work together as shipwrights?"

I looked at Luffy. He gave an angry look.

Luffy did not take betrayal very well and always valued friendship. I looked at Robin.

I hoped she didn't betray us.

"Until a little while ago... yes. But things are different." Lucci continued emotionlessly.

"So you really are double crossers. Fine. I promised I'd beat the crap out of whoever's trying to kill Iceburg." Luffy then remembered Robin. "Robin, why are you with these guys? If you're going to leave give me a reason." I looked at Luffy when he said that.

He gave a similar look he had back at Arlong Park. It was still a look of trust in his nakama.

"That's right. These guys said they're government agents. So why?" I asked.

Please Robin. Let us help you.

Robin looked with cruel eyes. "You people sure are stubborn. The cook and doctor should have told you my goodbye."

Chopper yelled. "I did. But I can't accept it either."

"It was to fulfill a wish. That wish cannot be fulfilled with you. In order to make that wish come true, I do not mind any sacrifice." She responded back.

I looked at Zoro. He stayed quiet. I couldn't help but think that we had so many dreams and knew each other's dreams. We were going to help each other.

We were going to help you find this Rio Poneglyph. Just like Yuuto promised.

Zoro then responded sternly. "That's why you let your crewmates take the blame. What is this wish of yours?"

"There's no need for me to tell you." She said.

I looked in shock. This wish wasn't her dream?

What was this wish?

Iceburg, bleeding on the floor, yelled. "Are you sure about this Nico Robin? Do you fully realize what you are trying to do here?"

Robin then used her powers to close his mouth.

"Robin, what are you doing?" Luffy cried out.

Chopper then yelled. "Are we really your enemies now Robin?"

I held my hands up in shock. I didn't want Robin as our enemy.

"I'm afraid we have to cut it short here. We no longer have business here or with you people. Kalifa, did you set up the bombs." Lucci asked.

"Yes. It should explode in two minutes." Kalifa responded.

"What?" Luffy shouted.

"I suggest you pirates to escape. Of course, that is if you can." Lucci threatened. The other three agents stepped forward to block us.

Zoro then asked. "Seems like they're intent on eliminating us. And Nico Robin is firmly on their side..." I looked at him. Did he really think of Robin as an enemy? Even after all this time. "Well Luffy, can you accept Robin's resignation from the crew?"

I was about to reject this idea. However Luffy yelled for me.

"Hell no!"

I got out my climatact. Chopper went to his brain point form to analyze them.

Luffy and Zoro were going to need our help.

Robin then turned away. "I'll go on ahead."

"Yes, good work carrying out the mission." Lucci congratulated expressionlessly.

"Wait Robin, I won't accept this!" Luffy responded.

"Farewell!" We heard her. She walked closer to the window.

Chopper and I yelled, "Robin!"

Luffy started running. Zoro followed. Chopper and I started running.

A large man tried to block Luffy. Luffy kicked him out the way. He grunted in pain.

Kaku and Kalifa then both kicked Luffy.

Zoro cried. "Get down!"

As both me and Chopper got down, we saw the walls get cut.

Luffy was blown away away.

Zoro charged in and started fighting Kaku. I went and started fighting Kalifa with my bojutsu techniques. Chopper made sure the fourth agent wouldn't intervene.

I looked at her. She was toying with me.

Looking back on it now, I should have used the climatact's full power. I was too distracted that Robin was leaving us. I focused on only my bojutsu techniques.

Luffy got up. "Robin, don't go!"

"Luffy, go after her. You have to catch her." Zoro said.

"Roronoa, do you have the luxury of looking away?" Kaku said with his finger out. I then saw Zoro's blood. He was then kicked away.

Just as Luffy was about to catch up to her, Lucci then grabbed Luffy and threw him away.

Robin then went through the window.

Seeing Luffy go down, I ran toward where he was.

What's with this strength of these government agents?

I looked at Luffy and Zoro. Why were they holding back? They normally wouldn't lose so easily.

I looked back at the window. Right, I'm distracted about Robin. They are too.

Robin does mean that much to us.

Lucci then started this long monologue. I didn't pay attention; I needed to try to focus so I could fight better.

Then, Lucci transformed.

He looked like a giant leopard.

Chopper cried out, "This is bad. Carnivore zoan fruits make their users even more violent."

Lucci then kicked the air. The walls came crashing down. I escaped, but Chopper got trapped in the rubble. I tried to remove the rubble to free him.

In that moment, Paulie tried to grab Iceburg out. However, he was soon met by his former friends.

"Give it a rest Paulie." Kaku said.

"It might have just been me, but I really did consider you all as my friends until now." He shouted with tears in his eyes.

I looked at him sorrowfully. I understood how he felt because of what Robin just did.

Lucci then took out his claws. "Indeed, your sentiment was not mutual."

Before he struck, Luffy punched him.

Lucci recovered, grabbed Luffy, and threw him out the wall.

Zoro tried cutting Lucci, but it didn't work. Lucci kicked him out the building too.

Shoot. It was just me against these four.

Lucci then looked at me. "If only I could kill you." He then kicked the floor and I fell through the hole he made.

* * *

 **Franky POV**

I had started wiping my eyes after hearing Usopp's story.

There weren't any tears in my eyes. My eyes just hurt.

Usopp then yelled, "Why the hell are you crying?"

He had figured out where I was by threatening one of my family members. He wanted to fight me over the ship. When I beat him up, I then ordered him to explain why he was doing this.

He then told me his entire story.

It was quite touching. However, a man does not cry over this story.

"Don't be stupid" I said as I threw away my tissue. "I am touched by your desire to repair your ship. But no one's crying. Especially me."

"In any case, you understand now. That they and I are no longer friends!" He shouted.

"Let me play you a song to that attitude of yours." I grabbed my guitar.

"Are you mocking me?"

I then needed to calm down over that story. "You must really resent me then. I'm building you guys a new ship to replace your old one then. It must have been what triggered this whole fight."

I must not let the surprise out that Yuuto suggested for me. He was right about Usopp for sure.

Usopp then replied. "What happened … happened."

"That the right attitude to have brother. But let me ask you." I answered. I saw him try to repair the ship. "What are you doing right now? If you got no place to go, I can take you in." I was liking him. He would have made an excellent family member.

"I have no intention of being a dismantler. I am a pirate." He boldly proclaimed.

I smiled. My parents were pirates too. I got my guitar again. "The next piece I would like to play is called Pirate's code."

He then talked about the weather. He noticed the strong winds. I explained Aqua Laguna. I noticed he was still fixing that ship.

He distracted me by changing the subject.

"What are you planning on doing by fixing that ship?" I asked. It wasn't his. Not anymore.

"I'm going to show the Straw hats that it can still sail."

I looked at him sternly. "You can't do that. It's impossible. Galley-la and I inspected it already. It won't sail anymore."

"What you think I'm going to let you destroy the ship?" He looked at me.

"That's no longer a ship." I then punched him to the sea. "Take a look for yourself to see with your own two eyes."

After some time, he got up. As he got up, he started trying to fix the ship again.

This stubborn man.

I shouted angrily. "Give it a rest long-nose. You saw the ship's keel. It's cracked. It's falling apart. Every wave that comes is going to come that eventually it's going to break apart. Some amateur like you can't - "

He threw his hammer. He looked at me. "Shut the hell up. I already knew all of that." At those words, he started crying.

What? Why this effort for a dying ship?

"When I heard the assessment, I remembered what I saw at Sky Island. One night, when no one should have been on the ship, I heard a hammer. There was a thick fog. By the next morning, someone repaired the ship. It was a rough job. The thing is, it was what the Going Merry looked like originally. I don't know if I imagined it. But I believe that was the Going Merry's spirit."

He continued sobbing.

I gasped. No way. He saw a Klabautermann.

Was that the voice I heard when I touched their ship yesterday?

"I don't care if you don't believe me." Usopp continued.

"Let me guess, he was holding a wooden mallet and dressed like a sailor too." I said.

"How did you know?"

I explained what a Klabautremann was to him. As I finished explaining, I smiled. "Your ship had a happy life with your crew."

This crew definitely deserves the super ship I plan on making for them. For a Klabautermann to appear shows how much the crew cared about the ship.

I found a crew worthy of carrying out my dream.

Soon enough, I heard a knock.

"Hm. Are we expecting company?" I asked.

"Maybe it's Zambei. And he's bringing food." Kiwi said.

We heard a knock again.

"Alright, we're coming." Mozu answered.

As soon as they answered the door, I saw them both be kicked away. They were both knocked unconscious.

It was the secretary, pigeon punk, Blueno, and that "mountain monkey" out the door. Why were they dressed in black like government agents?

Shoot! It was CP-9. They found out.

"Long-nose. We need to run now!"

I took him and started running. However, we were intercepted by pigeon guy.

"I guess you know who we are. Just like we know who you are. Cutty Flam."

"Color me impressed. So then how's Bakaburg doing? Is he well?" I tried to say as nonchalant as I could.

"We killed him." He said ruthlessly.

I looked in shock. "Now hand over the blueprints. To the world's most terrifying battleship known as Pluton."

I looked. I then released my right arm hook. "As if I'd hand it over to you guys."

He then punched me knocking me out through a wall.

They then started looking through the room.

"Hey. Don't touch that. That office was where the world's greatest shipwright lived." I defended. I got ready to use my Coup de Vent, but I got roped.

"From what I've gathered." Pigeon freak said. "The shipwright known as Tom was quite a talented but violent fishman. It must be troublesome to cover for him isn't it Cutty Flam?"

I was going to fulfill my master's last wish. "I'm not going to answer that!" I yelled as defiantly as I could.

Usopp then had his hands out. Out came a slingshot.

Blueno then handed me a den-den mushi. "It's for you. It's our chief."

I answered. Why would the chief want to talk to me? "Hello." I said hesitantly.

"Hot. Hot. Damn it I spilled some coffee." I looked at the government dogs. Who was this idiot. "Are you there Cutty Flam?" That voice did sound familiar. "It's been a long time. Do you remember me?"

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"Do you still not remember me? I am the man who orderd CP5 to arrest Tom's workers eight years ago!"

I growled. Of course, I remember the man who framed Tom."Spanda!"

"It's Spandam!" I noticed that Kaku held back a chuckle. "I will be waiting for you at Enies Lobby. Hurry up men!" He hung up. I smiled a little bit. If I die, I could at least punch him.

They then put me in a sack. I did look at Kalifa and Blueno. They were not happy to be taking orders from him.

"Hey! Hold it. Let go of him!" Usopp said.

He was going to fight them on my behalf.

Lucci glared at him.

He then bowed. "Sorry about that for a second."

"Do you know only how to look cool for a second?" I asked. I was angry.

Kaku then said. "You're one of Straw-hat's crewmates."

"Not anymore" Usopp replied.

"Oh. So you're not a pirate anymore."

"No I still am."

Kaku then smiled. "I see. Well..." He then moved close to Usopp and knocked him out. "you're still a pirate so we'll take you away too."

He then turned to Kalifa. "Kalifa?"

She didn't respond. He sighed. "Kalifa. Focus on the mission." He pointed toward Usopp.

"Right. Sorry."

Kaku then saw the ship. "It seems you haven't gotten rid of the ship." He then touched the ship.

I growled. Usopp yelled. "Don't touch that ship! It doesn't belong to you!"

Kaku then gave a sigh. "Even though it was a cover, I was still a proper shipwright. I wasn't lying about my evaluation. As such, I'd like you to accept my advice that this ship is beyond saving." He then pulled the lever.

I looked away. The ship was going to the ocean.

Damn it. It deserved a better farewell then that. I tried to fight against the steel ropes.

"Merry!" I heard Usopp scream. I sympathized with him because there was no way that ship was going to survive Aqua Laguna.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

I started waking up. I heard what the crowd said. I needed to run away.

As I got up, I saw Iceburg.

"Give us some space to talk privately. There's something I have to talk about with her alone..."

I looked at him. Was this about Robin?

"But President." Someone in the crowd started.

"She and the Straw Hats didn't hurt me. They were framed." He then gave a serious look to all of them.

For a guy who was so carefree yesterday, he did have a serious look.

When they gave us some room, he started. "First. I need to apologize to you and your crew. Secondly, I need to tell you about Robin."

"You know something." I asked hurriedly. Maybe he knew why Robin was doing all of this.

"Did her behavior change in any way when you arrived?" He asked.

I nodded. "She disappeared soon when we arrived here. Then, when she reappeared, we heard she attacked you. We didn't have a clue what was going on. So we came here with the intention of confronting her. In order to ask her why."

I looked down, thinking about this wish she mentioned.

"Allow me to tell you what I know." I looked at him. I gave him a look for him to continue. "When Nico Robin disappeared, the government's plan was likely in action. She has a clear reason for her actions. Before I tell you that, I want you to keep in mind that Nico Robin and I have the power to revive an ancient power strong enough to destroy this world."

"Destroy the world?" I asked. Just what are we dealing with here?

"That's right. Nico Robin has been on the run from the government because of this power. The government would kill her to protect this power. However, this time, she chose to protect you."

I gasped. Robin was protecting us?

"The government was allowed to use a Buster Call. She said it was an emergency order that summons 5 vice admirals as well as 10 fleets of battleships to a single place for an attack. If she rejected the government, a Buster call would be summoned to attack you."

I looked in shock.

He continued. "That wish she wanted to fulfill was so that the rest of the Straw hat crew. All of you would be able to safely sail away from this island if she turned herself in."

I put my hands to my mouth.

"As dumbfounding as it may seem, that woman chose you seven over the lives of everyone else in the world."

She did it for us.

She never meant to leave or betray us.

She was simply protecting us.

"Considering the blueprint I tried so hard to hide is now on the verge of being stolen, I still have no right to criticize her actions anymore." He continued.

With all of this information, I couldn't help but collapse.

Still, when I collapsed, I couldn't help but feel so free. This was the closest feeling of freedom I felt recently since Luffy beat Arlong.

"Thank goodness. She didn't betray us after all." It felt so good to say that. I quickly got up. "Thanks Mr. Iceburg. I have to let the rest of my crew know."

I tried calling Luffy. After a couple of rings, I remembered he was thrown out.

I then started running to find Chopper.

"Wait. What are you going to do. Your crew was so easily defeated."

I looked back at him. "They'll be fine. We were all weak when conflicted with doubt." I know Luffy and Zoro were. "Now they know for certain it's fine to go save Robin, they'll go all out."

I soon started running. "Chopper."

How could he sleep in a time like this?

"Chopper! We have to go find the others." Chopper then started waking up.

"Listen Chopper. Robin's not betraying us. She's been trying to save our lives."

That woke Chopper up. He immediately transformed to his brain point.

"Wait! Robin doesn't hate us." He looked so happy hearing that.

I couldn't help but smile back at that. It was so cute seeing him cheer up.

I know he was beating himself up since he was supposed to be watching Robin. He had been so quiet the last two days. When I went to talk to him yesterday, he kept moping around.

"Yes." I pumped my fist. "That's right. So we need to find Luffy and the others to save her!"

"Any ideas where?" He asked excitedly.

"I don't know. How about you try to see if you can smell them? I'll call Yuuto if I can to get an update on his side." I paused. Yuuto said he would go by the train.

Iceburg then interrupted saying there was a train leaving for Enies Lobby by 11. We had half an hour before the train. If this was all planned, that means there's going to be a lot of guards there. I trust Yuuto then.

If I called Yuuto, he might get caught. I tried calling Sanji to maybe go help him. However, he didn't pick up. I sighed.

Paulie then came. I told them I needed to look for Luffy and Zoro first. He got the entire company to help us look for them.

After ten minutes of looking around, I decided to see if I could go on the rooftop and find something.

I looked around and found Luffy between two buildings.

That idiot.

I started running toward him. The weather was getting worse. [5]

As I got close by, I started yelling angrily. "Luffy! What the hell are you doing there?"

"Nami? Are you behind me? That pigeon guy sent me flying. I am wedged here."

I started crying. Did he not care about Robin? This was not the time.

"Stop kidding around at this serious time! While you were wasting your time here, Robin got taken away."

I looked behind him.

He stayed quiet. "Robin... She... She's planning to throw away her life for our sakes." I took a look at him. He stopped moving. "She sacrificed herself to protect us from the government from attacking us! She went with them fully knowing that she'd be killed!"

"So then... Robin was... lying to us?" I heard him speak.

"Yes." That idiot was slow.

"Thank goodness!"

I could also see a tremendous relief on him too. He straightened up.

"Don't worry. I won't let Robin die!" He yelled.

It was just like the time when he shouted he would help me. I smiled trusting my captain who I had a crush on.

I waited and saw him push open the buildings he was stuck in.

Soon after, I heard another crash. That must be Zoro.

Luffy saw me and quickly stretched to grab me.

"Where do we go to rescue Robin?" He then reeled himself to me.

"To the train station! We have 10 minutes before it leaves. We might meet up with Yuuto." I said hurriedly.

"Let's go!"

"Let's find Zoro! Paulie will show us where the train station is." I was sure all of us could win now that we didn't have to hold back.

"I'm here." I looked and saw Zoro and Chopper.

I told them the entire story from what Iceburg told me

Luffy reacted the same. I heard that was how he reacted when he heard about my story from Arlong. Zoro and Chopper looked more serious.

Paulie then led us to the train station.

Unfortunately, by the time we got to the train station, we heard the train starting to leave.

"Robin!" We all shouted after her.

* * *

Author's Notes

[1] Kalifa had an incident that she thought Chopper in his monster point form was Nami. I figured just to show that she was a little bad at recognizing people. I'll make it her gag.

[2] That's just Iceburg realizing that Kalifa was wrong. Yuuto did not do a good job looking like Riku.

[3] The name comes from a harem/romance manga I am currently reading. It's 5 Toubun no Hanayome.

[4] I am making Chopper act like a little kid who thinks all of this is his fault.

Think of it as kind of a guilt for being the last person to see Robin before all of this happened. Therefore, he thinks it's his fault. Kind of like survivor's guilt.

This is just meant to help develop his character and set up what happens in Enies Lobby. Just exploring this more.

[5] Aqua Laguna still plays a role. Think that this time, Nami got them earlier so they don't have to worry about Aqua Laguna as much.

That concludes my notes and on to some other ideas I have about my story.

Something I didn't want to do but I felt that I had to do was write Usopp's character in this way right now.

I feel that I have to make Usopp sound immature because you have to keep in mind that this is an emotional event for him. Out of all the Strawhats, he's the only one who actually saw Merry's Klabetermaan. From his perspective, the Merry is alive and a person. I hope that helps understand why I wrote the story in this way. However, he is still against the crew.

I hope I can properly redeem his character later on (which did happen in Enies Lobby in my opinion). Also, keep in mind that I did give him a chance to shine a little earlier in the story (Little Garden, Alabasta, Skypiea, and Davy Jones Fight).

Well, that's my 20th chapter and I'm starting Enies Lobby very soon. That's when it gets intense. I hope to do a good work with the fight scenes and character development on the Strawhats.

On one hand, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji get awesome moments and they do get a lot of credit for it. I hope that I can write just as good development and moments for the other characters. That is just to balance them in certain ways and they don't get overshadowed completely.

I am going to write a "shining" moment with Yuuto in two chapters.

Please leave a review for some feedback. Please be specific about what you liked or disliked and any advice you may have. Also, please mention whether you want me to include other people's POV when I do Amazon Lily, Impel Down, and Marineford. (Boa Hancock, Mr. 2, Whitebeard). I don't think you guys would want me to write the story in Luffy's POV when I do all of those arcs.

Until next time!


	21. Chapter 21 Train to Enies Lobby

Disclaimer: Well I don't own One Piece or Chapter 928 (which is not out yet).

I don't think my chapter coming out is a nice replacement for that.

* * *

Train to Enies Lobby

Few minutes earlier

 **Robin POV**

I walked along with the marine escort. There didn't need to be so many marines here. I wasn't going to run away.

As I got on the train ahead of CP9, I made my way to the cabin that they wanted me in. I looked out the window.

The intercom called out"The 11 o'clock departure from Water Seven's Blue Station to Enies Lobby will be departing soon because of Aqua Laguna."

I breathed out. It was fun while it lasted. The steam whistle then blew.

"The last train of the day is now departing."

I put my hands on my face covering my eyes. I reminisced how I joined the crew.

I joined very easily with everyone except Zoro and Yuuto. They distrusted me in the beginning, but they were always kind to me. They even helped defend me from Aokiji.

Those people who were my enemies really became my friends.

For the first time since I was under CP-9, I smiled because the group I joined this time was not going to die. [1]

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

I had made it to the last caboose. I waited a couple minutes to plan what to do next.

I hoped Nami-chan made it to the train station where she would get my letter. If only I hadn't left my Den-den mushi back in the hotel room, I could contact her better. Ah well. I'm sure there isn't anything important that I need to know. I was going to save Robin no matter what.

Well Usopp and that Franky guy too. But save the girls first, worry about the guys later.

I was becoming excited thinking that I was going to be Robin's knight in shining armor.

It wasn't going to be Yuuto, Marimo head, or Luffy. It was just going to be me.

I growled thinking about how Yuuto helped Vivi last time. This time, it was my turn to save the girl this time!

I thought carefully about what I was going to do. The plan I had was to sneak inside, rescue the others and escape. It was raining a lot. I couldn't even smoke a cigarette.

The door opened. I immediately kicked whoever went outside back inside. He flew through the doors.

Damn it. I was supposed to be sneaking around.

I walked inside and saw at least 20 guns pointing at me.

"Who are you?" a guard asked.

There were at least 30 people in the last cabin. I sighed. This was why I wanted to sneak around to avoid fighting so many people.

"I saw that kick. You're not an ordinary person." asked another guard.

"Jeez hearing you say that. Makes me blush." I appreciated the compliment. I put my hand behind my head. If only a woman complimented me like that.

"We should report this to CP-9!" yelled another guard.

I glared at that name. Yuuto was right about this CP-9 group. How could the government kidnap a woman against her will?

Another voice spoke out. "There's no pressing need to report this to CP-9."

It sounded like a voice above me. I looked up. I saw a very tall man.I growled; I don't have time for this.

I kicked up and then did my party house kick getting rid of all the guards.

Even though they had numbers, they were weak to deal with. Still, I have to waste some time to beat them up. I made it to the next car where I saw Usopp and Franky.

And another 30-40 some guards.

Luckily, they were just like the guards from the last car. It didn't take too much time to beat them up.

As I released the prisoners from their bonds, I asked, "Do you know where Robin is?"

Usopp looked at me confused, and he didn't answer. I groaned. He was still being stubborn about this.

Franky shook his head.

At least Franky responded. I then saw a den den mushi.

As I walked toward it, the door opened and another marine guard walked in. I immediately reacted.

Just I was about to kick him, he dodged it and said. "Sanji. It's me. Yuuto."

The three of us froze. "You're..." I started. I looked more closely to see if I was being tricked.

He took off his eye contacts and fake scars. He also showed his mask.

He was better at disguises better than he originally suggested.

"I've been in disguise the last couple hours. My plan was to figure out which cart Robin was in and I would rescue her by myself. Unfortunately, that won't work anymore because if I did that would leave Usopp and Franky. And you." He said a little annoyed.

I smirked at him.

Ha. Your plan failed.

You don't get to rescue the girl by yourself.

We all know that if you did Robin would fall in love with you because you would be prince charming.

Just like how Vivi fell in love with you.

I couldn't have that happen again. If someone's going to be prince charming, it was going to be me.

He gave me a look to say focus as if he heard my thoughts. "How were you going to get out?" I asked to distract him. I haven't thought about a way of getting out.

He pointed toward his shoes, to which Usopp said "Oh. But that's still a work-"

"I know. Still the best time to try it out. Unfortunately, I could only carry one person." He interrupted.

Huh? I wasn't sure what they were talking about.

"Listen let's talk to Nami right now. We'll plan this together. I couldn't call Nami because I was pretending to be working for them. Now I'm here to check on 'the status of the other carts'" He put air quotes around the last part of his phrase. "We can plan." Yuuto continued.

We all went up to the roof. Yuuto motioned that he would go back down if he sensed someone coming. He gave us his den den mushi.

I started dialing. "Hello? Yuuto?" I heard Nami's voice.

"It's me Sanji. Nami, can you hear me?"

I needed to make sure Nami could hear my charming voice.

"Yes! What's going on? Are you with Yuuto?"

"Yes. Along with 2 other bozos."

Nami then filled me in with Robin's situation. Usopp, Yuuto, and Franky heard it all. Yuuto nodded his head as if he understood some of it.

I then heard Luffy. "Sanji! How are things on your end?"

"Robin is still captive." If what Nami said is true, we need to rescue her fast.

"I see. You and Yuuto are free to go wild." I smiled at that response.

"Wait. Don't be stupid Luffy. Tell them to wait." I knew that was marimo."Hey cook! Yuuto! There are some seriously strong guys on that train. You guys can't take all of them down by yourselves."

I smiled. He was worried about me.

What a baby. Still, it was nice to know that he cared.

I gave a quick look at Yuuto. He did grimace, as if he understood why Zoro said that, but he also wanted to hurry and rescue our friend.

I heard Luffy ask him "What would you do if you were in their shoes?" Yuuto nodded at that and put on his gloves. I smiled.

It was good to know that the men on this crew thought the same.

"I appreciate the concern but after hearing Robin's circumstances, even if Luffy ordered me to not to act. I have no intention of staying put." I hung up the receiver. I would have crushed the receiver but it was Yuuto's den den mushi. I handed it back to him.

Usopp looked at us. "So all that happened while I left the crew."

I looked at him carefully. We could really use his help. Maybe if I make Usopp feel that he is still part of the crew he will help us. We'll forget about the fight he had.

For now.

I started. "Robin has no idea about the Going Merry's status, or the fight between you and Luffy. That's why she decided to sacrifice her own self and do as her captors commanded. So that the seven of us, including you, could be safe."

Yuuto gave me a look while I was explaining but then dismissed it. I think he was realizing this was bigger than the both of us. Yuuto was the type not to ask outsiders for help unless he knew or trusted them.

I waited for Usopps' reply when I heard crying. Usopp was crying over this? Maybe he will help us. I saw Franky with his hands over his face.

"What a touching tale!" He yelled.

I started sweat dropping. "Why are you crying?" I cried out angrily.

"Who said I was crying!" Franky said as he used a tissue. "How's this possible? Isn't Nico Robin the woman that the woman labeled as a cold-hearted demon and you're telling me about her sacrifice?"

I looked at him and Yuuto. I looked at Yuuto to ask what he was talking about. Yuuto gave me a shrug.

"Alright. I will help you out." He then yelled "SUPER!" with a pose. I looked at him a little more angrily. "If you want a reason why, well I'd be in a pickle if Nico Robin were caught by the World government."

I looked at him hesitantly. If he got caught earlier, he couldn't be that strong. Yuuto, seeing my hesitation, vouched for him. "He can help us a lot Sanji. He can also fight."

"Alright then." If Yuuto trusts him, then I should trust him. "Let's go Usopp." I motioned toward Usopp.

"I can't."

The three of us looked at Usopp. "This has nothing to do with me anymore. Besides, you're meeting up with Luffy. After the way we split, how could I look you guys in the face?"

I breathed out. It was still a matter of pride. Usopp was just as prideful as most of us on the crew. After a moment of pause, he continued "I feel bad for Robin, but I'm no longer obligated to help her. I quit the crew so farewell." He then walked away.

Idiot. Where are you going? There's no where to go. You're in the middle of the sea by train.

Franky then asked where he was going. I sighed.

He'll be back. I know it. "It's fine. Leave him be. Yuuto, you got a plan?"

I looked at Yuuto. He motioned me to be quiet, and he walked close to the edge. He then went back down.

What was going on?

I heard some talking and some shouting. I trusted Yuuto not to expose us. A couple seconds later, I heard some bodies fall on the floor.

That observation Haki sure is useful. He must have taken out some marines who went to check on the other carts. It was good he was in disguise to lower their guard.

As Yuuto got back out to meet us on the roof, we saw something fire at him.

"Whoops sorry!" a familiar voice cried out.

I looked behind me and saw Usopp with a mask on and a cape. It did not hide his nose at all. I grinned. Even though you're not going to help the crew, you were still going to help your friend.

Where did he get the cape? I can understand the mask because of Yuuto's hobby.

"Sorry! I thought you were the enemy. A young man filled me on all the details. You wish to save a lady." he explained as if he was a stranger.

At this, Yuuto gave him an annoyed look because of the disguise. Franky was just confused. I looked at Yuuto.

You always wear your mask when we fight other people. How is this any different?

"My name is Sogeking, the king of snipers from Sniper Island." He introduced himself.

Fine. I'll play your little game Usopp.

Yuuto gave a sigh. "Thanks Sogeking" He said the last part sarcastically.

Franky asked, "What is he doing?"

"Just play with it. Hey come over here if you're done." I addressed him. "We need to start plan Rescue Robin!"

As he came along, "Don't you have any questions for me considering this is the first time we've met?"

We all ignored him. I looked at Yuuto. "You know the general layout Yuuto?"

He nodded. "Right now we are on the sixth car. Robin is in the first car. CP9 is in car number 2. We need to draw their attention to the last two cars. You guys can be the decoy. You guys get on the roof ASAP while I detach the cars. We should draw out all the grunts while I lead the way. There are 3 people who can give us trouble before we fight CP9."

I nodded. It sounded similar to the plan I had in mind. At least with Yuuto here, I would have both brains and brawn alongside me.

We executed the plan he said and actually got rid on one of the stronger people that he was worried about.

There were only 2 left.

As we rested in the fifth car, Yuuto told us. "Alright, there's the chef and the newest member of CP9. The chef can use food to fight and the newest member of CP9 does not know Shigan or Tekkai. That's what I heard from the guards."

Hm.. Using food to fight. I need to take care of that personally. "I'll take care of the chef." Only Usopp looked at me and nodded, understanding immediately. [2]

Food is not meant to be wasted.

"Then I'll take care of that new CP9 recruit." Yuuto inferred.

"No. Leave that to me. You're stronger than me and we need you at full power to take care of the rest of the CP9." Franky said.

"I'll go sneak to meet with Robin then run to you guys. Same plan?" Usopp… I mean "Sogeking" said.

Yuuto nodded. "Alright. Then I'll wait for you guys to finish up."

As we entered the 4th car, we saw the chef. He was skating around, yelling "It's Wanze!"

I scoffed. This was my opponent. He looks stupid. He then made ramen in front of our nose. He offered us to eat it.

I hate wasting food, but that's gross. I would still eat it out of principle, but I would brush my teeth afterward.

As we made our way, he tried to block us. I immediately kicked him.

He wasn't strong if he immediately started bleeding like that.

" I will stop you." He coughed out blood. "With my ramen kenpo." I looked around. We're in a kitchen and he's supposed to use food.

"He's mine." I reminded them. They nodded and tried to go through the door.

Wanze then shot some ramen at them through the nose. I grimaced. They dodged it.

All that food going to waste.

I then kicked him again. My crew then went out through the window.

Hmm. We are making a mess here.

Wanze looked like he was being serious. He then made a ramen battle suit.

Hmm… I can't kick that. The texture of the ramen would soften my blow. He didn't cover his head. Maybe I could attack there.

He then tried to punch me. I dodged it and leaped into the air.

As I was about to kick his face, he then fired something at me.

I fell to the floor. That was ramen that he fired at. It pierced me. I look around the kitchen to see. If he really was using food, then I'll just have to use my skill as a cook. I grabbed some of his knives.

He praised himself and started dancing. He boasted. "I know your fighting style is all kick based. You can't beat me. I have no weaknesses."

I got up. He then tried to punch me. I then used his kitchen knives to cut the ramen noodles into felini.

"What did you do?" He asked.

I then showed him his knives. "It's my personal policy to never use my hands or knives in a fight because they are sacred for a chef. But because we are in a kitchen and my enemy is fighting with food..."

He snapped. "A novice cook like you shouldn't be holding those kitchen knives. Those kitchen knives are different from the kinds of knives that hoodlums use."

He then attacked me with some ramen whip. It was understandable as a chef to take a knife without their permission. I would have apologized. However, I won't apologize to him if he's stopping me from saving Robin.

I dodged and cut his whip. "Let me show you the special kitchen knife skills of a first class chef."

He then kept attacking me with his noodles. This was easy. I could easily cut those ramen noodles to become thinner noodles.

"What am I an onion?" He cried out.

"Why don't you just admit defeat?" I taunted. It would be easier that way.

"I'm CP7's ace Wanze. I know how important today's mission is. Your crewmate Nico Robin is an outlaw that the World Government has been after for years. There's no way I'd hand a criminal like that to you." He jabbed.

I narrowed my eyes at that.

He continued attacking. I began cutting the noodles to get closer to him. I needed to hurry. I know Usopp, Yuuto, and Franky were waiting for me so that we could take down CP9 together.

"No! I've been cut!" he cried out as he fell down. His armor fell down.

Idiot.

"Wait! No I haven't" He realized that he did not have a wound on him.

I recounted what Zeff had taught me about cooking. I put the knife back on the knife rack. "A kitchen knife is not a sword. It shouldn't cut humans. Now..." I then dodged him throwing knives. I narrowed my eyes at this imbecile. They were kitchen knives. He was digging himself a bigger hole.

I kicked him. "Now prepare yourself." I threatened. I was going to give him a personal makeover.

After a couple kicks, he started saying."Hold on… I think my face shrank." He paused as if to check his face. He then continued. "Everyone knows that lurking inside that woman is the heart of a rotten demon."

I growled at that and kicked him. My work was done.

"You committed three crimes in front of me." I raised my hands. "One you called yourself a cook. Two, you wasted food. Three, you insulted my friend."

He got up and tried to protect the door. He took out a large sword.

He did look slightly different from how we started.

 **Collier Shot!**

I kicked him from the fourth car all the way to the second car. I saw 4 people look at me.

A few seconds later, someone else and Franky came crashing in to the third car.

* * *

A few minutes ago

 **Franky POV**

Yuuto told me that the opponent was on the roof. I struck my pose and told him that I would take care of it. I was feeling super good.

When I won, we would then fight the rest of them together.

As I made my way to the roof, I saw my opponent. He introduced himself. "I am the newest CP9 who can use four of the Roksuhiki. Nero the sea weasel. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to kill you."

Hm… I guess they can't kill me because of the blueprints. I looked more closely at him. He looked as shady as the government officials I knew.

"Why were you waiting on the roof? I would have paid you a visit if you kept waiting." I asked to lower his guard.

"Is that so. You might have tried to pass me secretly."

I confessed. "Yeah. That's true. What's that behind you?" I pointed out.

As he looked behind him, I punched him.

"Gah that was dirty."

I laughed. I didn't become the boss of Water Seven's Underworld for no reason.

He then moved really fast like Yuuto had warned me about.

Just as I was about to punch him, he dodged like paper.

I needed to hold him still then. I saw him about to kick me away. I dodged remembering the warnings that kick could slice through air.

I then breathed fire to him. He then started jumping on the air to dodge.

Goodness, this fighting style is annoying.

We kept fighting as equals. We hadn't hurt each other. I was feeling confident that I did not need to use any cola on him. I just needed to land one hit.

He went behind me with his gun out. Maybe I could lower his guard by making my weak spot even more obvious.

I then turned around and told him, "Hey weasel-face. You're unlucky that I'm in such a super condition this week." He looked at me hesitantly. "Do you know about the legendary creature called the centaur?" Nero nodded at me as if he did. "Watch this. Transform!"

As I finished transforming, he yelled, "You're facing the wrong way!"

I provoked him with my hand motioning him to come. "Come get me."

He then sorued and fired at my back.

I yelled in pain. He taunted at me. "It seems like your precious new form was nothing but talk! I don't see how getting four legs helped!"

I then rolled to the side of the train and pretended to slip on the train.

"I'm falling!" I pretended to shout.

He came over me and said, "Pathetic."

"Thanks!" I then flipped over.

The centaur form I have is meant to trap people. That's why it was designed to face the wrong way.

It was a good way to lower someone's guard and be effective at the same time. I locked him good and grinned. I'll use 1 cola for this punch. I still have plenty.

Ever since Yuuto told me about Iceburg might be assassinated from the government, I prepared to make sure that my entire cooler was filled with 3 bottles of cola. I then made sure I had an extra 10 on hand.

I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Crap! I can't move my arms and my legs." He urged, trying to fight his way out.

"Save your excuses. I suggest you say some last words. You don't know how strong my punches are since you kept dodging them."

 **Strong Right!**

I then punched him and we came crashing down at the cart.

I looked around and saw Sanji 1 car away and the ramen cook knocked out at the car in front of me.

Guess we finished at the same time.

I then saw Blueno, the secretary, and the other carpenters.

The secretary then said, "It became quite noisy all of a sudden."

"Seems like all the soldiers onboard for the escort mission have been defeated." Blueno said.

"Not that we expected much from them to begin with." The pigeon guy said. He looked at Yuuto. "Looks like it was easy for them to pretend to be one of them too."

Yuuto, Sanji, and I gathered to confront them.

Sanji questioned "So these are the guys who abducted Robin."

Yuuto confirmed, "Yep." He put on his fox mask and took a stance.

"Be careful, everbody." I reminded everybody.

I then saw that Nero barely got up.

Hm… looks like I'm going to need to use my cola more than necessary for these guys. I quickly refilled it.

"Who's this?" The pigeon guy demanded annoyed.

"It's the new CP9 recruit Corgi mentioned. A man named Nero who can use four of the rokushiki techniques." Long nose stated.

"I won't forgive you." Nero yelled toward me.

"Hey newcomer! I'll give you three seconds to run away." warned pigeon guy.

"Hm?" we all looked. The only ones who didn't seem surprised was CP9.

"3…. 2…. " Lucci said with his eyes closed.

"Wait!" Nero begged.

"1!" Out came blood.

"CP 9 has no use for you. You can only consider yourself as strong as us only after mastering all 6 techniques. Kalifa, tell the chief that the new recruit was too weak to be used."

We all looked in disgust.

"Those guys are supposed to be an organization for justice?" Sanji asked.

"I can't tell who the bad guys are here…." I continued.

"Well… the government has always been like this." Yuuto finished.

Lucci then looked angrily at him for a moment. He started going on a long monologue about Robin. I was analyzing the situation. If Lucci took out Nero like no problem, then I needed to go all out. He then said something that angered me.

"Her very existence itself was her 'sin'! Only her death could bring happiness to others. That's the kind of misfortune she has." He said that as he sneered.

What a bunch of bullshit! I can remember my master Tom's words.

In fact, I can still remember the punch he gave me. It was the only time he hit me.

" _Even if the ship you've made could hurt somebody, even if it could destroy the world, its only creator must love them. You mustn't deny that which you've created. Don't blame the ship. A man should be proud of the ship he's made._

He insinuated. "She should have died 20 years ago. So to have her die, before it's too late, is nothing but a blessing."

Sanji then kicked him. He blocked it. Yuuto followed and punched his face. That punch stumbled Lucci a bit. I smirked.

I knew the the Black Fox would be strong to take them down.

His team stood amazed by that. "To break Lucci's tekkai..." long nose stated. [3]

"He's strong." the secretary whispered.

Blueno then tried to sneak attack him, but Yuuto blocked it. As he blocked it, he changed his block to a hold and pushed him through the benches.

We then heard yelling from another cart. "Robin! No! If you go out that way, you'll..."

Out came both Robin and Usopp.

I looked at the beautiful woman before me.

"So that's Nico Robin." I stated.

My first impression was that she definitely had an aura of danger and seriousness around her.

"Robin!" Sanji yelled.

"Robin, we need to leave now." Yuuto followed up.

Sanji continued. "Thank God you're safe. Are you injured? We will deal with these four."

Robin then grew hands and pushed Usopp aside.

Sanji looked in shock. "Robin, what are you…."

"It's evident that words alone will not make you understand." She said coldly. She then closed her eyes and took a pose.

Yuuto looked ready and started running towards Robin.

Usopp yelled, "Franky! Disconnect car no. 3. We're running now!"

"Don't let Franky escape!" Lucci ordered. He then ran to engage with Yuuto. Kaku and Kalifa went after me.

Yuuto then dropped a smoke bomb that stopped them from running. He continued running while I heard everyone else cough.

Sanji and I praised Yuuto as we both made our way to the car. Usopp was already there.

As Yuuto came back with Robin behind, Usopp then fired something at the car.

It then caused a mini explosion.

Yuuto looked at Usopp and smiled. "Good thing you knew that smoke bomb can cause a bigger explosion with the right ammo."

Usopp paused before answering. "What do you mean? I didn't know. Besides whoever made the smoke bomb must have wanted to create an explosion. That thing is highly flammable."

Sanji just laughed at that. I could tell by the tone Usopp said he was lying.

"Whatever. We just need to get away. We're still too close." Yuuto continued. The cart was disconnected.

"Leave it to me!" I'll use a Coup de Vent to help increase the distance.

Just as I was about to go to the end of the cart, the cart was tied up by a whip.

"Caught them" Kalifa said. She then handed the whip to Blueno.

"Shoot! We need to cut the whip!" If I did Coup de vent, we would risk dragging them with us if they were that strong.

Thud*

Blueno pulled the whip, so the cart was dragged back in. Sanji and Yuuto came up. Blueno grabbed the edge of the cart. Sanji and Yuuto both attacked him at the same time, causing him to release his hold. I immediately followed up.

 **Coup de vent!**

As we flew 100 meters away, we heard a crunch sound behind us.

We looked and saw Robin attacking Sogeking with her powers.

It seems that she can grow hands to choke people. What a terrifying ability.

"Robin! What?"

"How many times must I repeat myself. Leave me be." She said.

Yuuto then ran to her and grabbed both of her hands. Once he did, those hands disappeared.

I raised my eyes. It seemed that Yuuto could calm her down.

Robin then asked, "What are you doing?"

Yuuto was analyzing the situation. "Remember our deal. We will protect you from the government." [4]

I looked and saw Lucci and Kaku jumping on air to get back to us. We were too far for the whips to be effective.

I quickly reloaded the cola I used up for the Coup de vent.

"We have incoming." I warned

"Yuuto, let her go. We need you to fight." Sanji said. He had also seen the agents coming.

"If I do, she's going to attack us." Yuuto countered looking at her.

"Damn it." Sogeking went to the edge of the cart and fired at those two agents. Those two agents just dodged his bullets.

Suddenly, Blueno appeared out of nowhere. He punched Yuuto who couldn't block and released Robin. Yuuto went crashing through the benches.

"How did he show up from nowhere?" I called out.

He then used this shigan technique and took out Usopp. Right when Sanji was about to attack Blueno, both of the agents landed in the train.

Kaku kicked Sanji. Lucci was then about to use his finger technique on him. I tried punching Lucci, but he blocked it and grabbed my face to the ground. I struggled but I couldn't get out of this hold.

"Stop. I have no intention of running away! Just let them go" Robin pleaded.

I sighed. If I was going to try to fight them here, there would be too much collateral damage. It was just me and Robin standing. Sanji and Usopp were both bleeding while Yuuto hadn't gotten up yet.

Blueno then said, "Then let's quickly leave."

Lucci picked me and we went through whatever Blueno came from.

We were back on the other cart. Just as Yuuto was about to get up, Kaku then kicked him and Yuuto flew back. Seeing the damage done, Kaku followed us. Now Blueno and Robin were left on the cart.

"Wait." The portal was still open.

"It's fine Robin. You're still..." Usopp coughed out blood. "You're still hiding something. That's fine. But pirates…" He coughed again. "Pirates can't leave their crew without their captain's permission." Robin had turned to listen. Usopp continued. "That why you should believe in Luffy." I saw him get kicked by Blueno. Even now, this crew has unbreakable trust.

Robin stepped into the portal where we were. Blueno then walked in the portal and it closed.

I was now stuck with the government and someone who wanted to be their prisoner too. They then put us in seastone handcuffs and we sat in cart 1. We stared at the space silently. I wasn't going to talk to her because of she actually stopped us from rescuing her.

I took the time to reflect all the events and back home. I wonder if there's something I need to say to people before I possibly die.

Well Iceburg, Zambzei, Mozu, Kiwi….

"Shoot! Iceburg's dead!" I yelled out. I remembered what they mentioned.

"Iceburg's alive." came the cool reply.

I looked at her. "He's alive? Is that true?" I hoped.

"Yes. That's what they said." She reassured me.

I gave a breath of relief. "Bakaburg. They told me you died…. Man, am I glad that's not true."

"I think CP9 believes they killed him however. It'd be best to keep quiet on this matter." She admitted with a stern look.

I looked over at her. She was actually much nicer than I expected. "Well aren't you awfully nice." She was nothing like Master Tom and the newspaper said.

She kept silent at that thinking about what was going to happen.

I continued. "In any case with me, the one with the blueprints and you the one who can resurrect the Ancient Weapon. The World Government now has two keys to unlock the revival of the Ancient Weapon. And when they succeed in reviving that power, they end the pirate age."

I looked at her for her reaction. She did frown a little bit.

"My master didn't sacrifice his life to protect the blueprints. All in order for that kind of future to happen anyway. I have no intention of quietly becoming their captive." I looked at her to see what kind of response she would say. "But it's meaningless if I escape by myself. You need to go back to the Straw Hat Pirates."

That was when the so-called woman in darkness said "No. I'll only hurt them by being with them."

She did have a look of worry.

Besides, it also looks like it hurts them more if you're not with them.

"If anyone's hurting anybody here, it ain't you. The government dogs are calling your existence a crime." She looked guilty at that. "No matter how terrible a weapon you've got, simply having it, is not a crime." She looked at me when I said the last part. "Simply existing is not a crime!" echoing the words of my master.

She showed some more emotion, but it was quickly covered up. She turned away.

Straw-hats, you better come quickly. It seems that only you guys can truly save her.

* * *

At Rocketman

 **Yuuto POV**

We got on the train and I noticed we had more people than expected.

I saw Galley-la and the Franky Family. This could be useful. There's at least 5,000 people on Enies Lobby to fight. I looked at Luffy and Chopper; they were crowded close to Sogeking.

"Sogeking from Sniper Island?" Luffy exclaimed.

"That's right. I came here at the request of my good friend Usopp!" Usopp lied.

"So you're a hero! I knew you had to be one since you were wearing a cape and all! Amazing this is my first time meeting a hero! I mean I met Mr. Fox but that was actually Yuuto!"

I groaned hearing that. "It's Black Fox Luffy." I corrected. Not that it really matters. I was definitely not a hero as Black Fox.

"Is that how it is? A hero is someone who wears a cape? Gosh you're so cool! Wait! Black Fox is a hero too!"

No Luffy. Don't drag Chopper into this.

Chopper looked at me. He looked so hopeful. I sadly shook my head. "No. I'm not a hero." He looked sad for a moment, but then continued looking at Sogeking.

I looked at everyone else. It seemed that everyone knew that was actually Usopp. Except those two.

I'll talk to Chopper later. Luffy had the same problem back at Whiskey Peak with me earlier.

Luffy then asked a very important question. "Where did Usopp go?"

I smiled. Maybe Luffy was just playing along. Usopp continued. "He's doing fine. You don't need to worry about him He told me that we should focus on saving Robin."

"You're right." Luffy cried. He then ignored his earlier question.

I've always expected Luffy to mean something but I turned out to be wrong. This has probably happened at least 30 times since I joined.

"So where is Sniper Island?" Chopper asked.

"That my friends lies inside your very hearts!" Usopp continued without missing a beat.

How does Usopp lie like that. That is getting ridiculous. Especially seeing Chopper and Luffy believe him.

"Nami." Sanji cried out.

"Yes Sanji." She replied.

"There's one matter I'd like you all to consider before we go to save Robin." He recounted what happened on the train.

"I'm not saying this as an excuse for if we fail to rescue her, but to simply point out that she might not entrust herself to us even if we charge in to rescue her." He continued.

I was about to add something but Luffy yelled, "None of that crap matters! I won't forgive any of them."

I should have expected that from Luffy and smiled.

He then continued shouting. "Why don't you let us save you?" He said the key point. I nodded at that.

Nami then smacked him. "Why are you blaming her? She's worried about what might happen to us after if she were saved."

Luffy then argued to her. "The point is that she's gonna die if we leave her alone. And since she doesn't want to to die, then that means we'll go save her."

"Well that's true, but..."

Zoro interrupted. "Give it a break. In the end, it doesn't change what we have to do. We'll still go save her." I looked at Zoro and nodded. It was interesting how the both of us didn't trust her in the beginning we now willing to save her.

"Alright, we're about to invade Enies Lobby, would anyone happen to know the general layout of the island?" I asked.

Paulie did and had already drawn out the layout of the island. He then laid out what to do and then Franky's lieutenant also continued explaining.

They were going to fight the fodder and open the gates for us while we would worry about CP-9.

Luffy said "Got it!" as if he understood the plan.

I looked at him. I remember Alabasta, Sky Island, and Davy Jones Fight. He never followed any sort of plan. Why should this time be any different?

I sighed. When he makes his move, I'll just follow him. There was no point in stopping him.

I have to make sure he doesn't waste too much energy before fighting Lucci. I could handle the other agents separately. I just have to protect him.

I fought against so many Rokushiki users that I already know what to expect from them.

Just as the train got closer to Enies Lobby, I saw him sneak out the window. I motioned to Chopper that I would follow Luffy. Chopper looked shocked but didn't say anything.

I suppose it was unlike me to not follow a plan. I was getting a little restless. Besides, I needed to practice using some of the dials that were added to my gloves and shoes.

Luffy had already went ahead and had stretched all the way to the gate.

Guess it was time to actually use them. I then jumped on the train and started using the milky dials that Usopp installed in my shoe. [5]

I was going to use them originally to save Robin. The plan I had was go to her cart, retrieve her and fly away. I would have been faster than them using Geppo. Usopp, Franky, and Sanji on the train complicated the original plan.

I caught up to Luffy who was on the flag pole.

Luffy looked at me and smiled. "Yuuto! Did you just fly here?" He said with stars in his eyes.

He remembers it's me with my mask, but he can't figure out it's Usopp with the mask. That mask isn't hiding his nose.

Normally, I would scold him for this situation, but I couldn't help but admit there was a sense of adventure and fun here. Besides, it's been a while, since I had done something this dangerous.

Soon enough, we heard the alarms and we heard gun fire. We both jumped down to escape the shots.

We saw more guards coming. Just before Luffy punched them, I then tried out the last dial that was Usopp added. I snapped my fingers from my left hand and shot fire briefly from the hidden flame dial connected to my wrist.

I smiled at how both dials seemed to have worked well.

"You can shoot fire now? How?" he added.

"Not really. It's those dials we used. I wanted to develop a faster way of taking down more enemies from a distance while also saving my strength."

I couldn't use those dials in the train because of possible collateral damage. But now, it was fine.

As more guards came over, Luffy and I took a stance. "I'll take the guys on the left." I said.

"Shishishi. I'll take the guys on the right then. This feels like the time when me and Ace went to go-" Luffy was rudely interrupted when someone came in to attack.

Luffy dodged the attack while I kicked the marine who came in the face. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone while he's talking?" I scolded the unconscious marine. I looked at Luffy again before I engaged the enemies. "That's right. Luffy you haven't told me a story about you and your brother." Some marines got too close to me so I had to rely on some close combat.

"Well," Luffy ducked. "It all began with…." He punched another marine. "When we were." He dodged another attack and kicked whoever attacked him. "Let me tell you the story after this."

"Sounds good captain." I smiled. It was hard to have some cheerful banter while doing this. I snapped my fingers and shot some fire.

We then laid chaos on Enies Lobby. It was only a matter of time before they would pay attention to us.

Then the real fight would begin.

* * *

Author's notes

[1] Robin believes that she is doing the right thing.

[2] This shows that Usopp knows Sanji well enough that Sanji hates wasting food.

Look at One Piece chapter 927.

[3] Actually, Yuuto only was able to punch him back because of the seastone he had. Yuuto is strong but I believe seastone will give him a better edge to help break his tekkai.

If he tried to break a non devil fruit user, it would be harder.

[4] The deal back from when she joined the crew in my chapter 12.

[5] That's the reason why Yuuto was really interested in those dials back then. He believed that he could use them in fight and asked Usopp for ways to implement them.

Let's say that Usopp is smart enough to reverse engineer putting milky dials in shoes like Gedatsu's shoes.

I also made Yuuto snap fire from the flame dial because that way he could have a long range attack.

This is also the first time that we could actually see Yuuto fight with the dials. At Long Ring Long Land, the dials weren't ready. It's also been a while since I wrote an actual fight scene with Yuuto.

Hope you guys look forward to the next chapter with the iconic moments of Enies Lobby. Please leave a review for some suggestions and feedback.


	22. Chapter 22 Enies Lobby

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own One Piece. But Chapter 928 should be released soon!

Here goes Enies Lobby! Here's hoping I do a good job with it.

* * *

Enies Lobby

 **Franky POV**

Both me and Robin marched in to where all of CP-9 was staying at.

I saw stupid Spanda. I smirked when I saw his mask. It must be from the time I broke his face 8 years ago.

He then continued this long monologue about peace and justice. It was stupid and disrespectful. As Spanda continued yelling, "Anyone, like that merman," he looked at me when he said that. "Who refuses to give us what we want is no more than a traitor who deserves death."

I grew angry at that. He was making light of the responsibility I had. "The reason Tom sacrificed his life to protect the blueprints was to keep it away from scum like you." I hissed out.

I was soon able to bite his head. I wasn't able to bite his head off until some agent hit me with his pole.

Spanda then kicked me.

"You're just as hot-headed as you were back then. You have no idea how long I waited for this moment to get those blueprints." He then continued. "I couldn't do anything to Iceburg because the government considered him important because of his ships. It wasn't until I heard from Admiral Aokiji that Nico Robin was aboard a pirate ship and heading for Water Seven. I then suggested the idea of using a Buster Call and here we are now."

"Why would Aokiji entrust you with the power of the buster call?" Robin asked.

He then slapped Robin.

"Shut your mouth you stupid bitch. You will suffer so much pain that you'll wish for death countless times. Oh yeah, we heard that two morons from your crew are here. They're trying to take you back. We heard it's Strawhat Luffy and Scheming Fox."

Robin looked scared.

"They're probably caught by the guards now. They're going to be taken to Impel Down. Scheming Fox however, … well…. let's say he gets special treatment." He smiled.

I wondered at that. Is it because of his former job?

Robin cried out worriedly. "That's not what you promised. I only agreed to cooperate with you as long as they could escape safely."

I mentally groaned. This was like what happened 8 years ago.

The government won't keep their promise.

"You're clinging desperately to that hope… Lucci, recite the exact condition." Spanda said.

"The seven members of the straw hat crew, excluding Robin, will depart from Water Seven in peace." came the emotionless response.

"That's right. They sailed from Water Seven safely then came here didn't they." Spanda explaining the loophole.

Robin realized it. "You'd violate our agreement using a technicality!" Robin yelled.

"There's nothing you can do. These people have a screwed up sense of justice." I admitted.

He then started kicking both of us. "We tricked the pirates and caught them. It's an acceptable method used even by marines."

"Coward!" Robin taunted. I looked more closely at her. She was biting her mouth with regret.

"Guards! Chain them up. Don't remove the seastone lock. Take Cutty Flam to Impel Down and Nico Robin to Marine HQ. Prepare the convoys and take them through the Gate of Justice." He then smiled. "We will be recognized for its accomplishment." They then left the room.

As they left, I looked at Robin. She was feeling guilty because her friends might die. "You should be happy. You've got good friends. They don't usually come to save you here you know." She ignored me. "I'm not sulking or anything. Because my guys aren't coming to save me ok?" She kept silent for another two minutes.

When should I use the Coup de Boo?

The door opened. It was Spanda.

"Hey Nico Robin. There's an emergency over on the main island. This so called emergency isn't bad. Let's make some predictions."

She kept silent at that.

"I wonder how badly the gatekeepers trampled your comrades. Last I heard, they only managed to defeat 5 of our soldiers. Let's listen to the fate of those idiots who defied the World Government."

I gave a look at that. Yuuto's much stronger than that.

"Hey guard! This is Spandam!"

We heard the reply. "Thank goodness, we can finally report. Where do I begin?"

"Cut to the chase and tell me loud and clear. It's about those filthy pirates right? What about them?"

"About 60 pirates invaded. They've made it to the courthouse."

"Huh?" he said.

I smiled. Robin gave a look of relief.

"Next is the matter of the giant gatekeepers. Oimo and Kasshi have gone over to the pirates' side. They're currently rampaging in the central area of the main island."

I started chuckling. This was getting better. Seeing Spanda's stupid face of shock was great.

"The soldiers we've lost so far amount to over three thousand. At least two thousand were taken out by the Captain 'Straw Hat' and 'Scheming Fox'. They've both gone missing. We're searching for them as we speak."

Spanda dropped the mushi and ran to the window. "This is probably the very first time in the entire history of Enies Lobby that something so devastating has happened."

I looked at Robin. "See. Nothing to worry about."

She then looked down. She didn't want to face her feelings.

"What's going on? What's happening on this island?" He then panicked. He quickly summoned whatever marines were nearby.

I guess it's time to use a Coup de Boo.

"Lift your head up Nico Robin. They've come this far." She looked at me. "I understand that that you've accepted the terms for the sake of your nakama. But the idiot chief broke the agreement. There's only one way to get out of here. Respond to their rescue. You shouldn't look so depressed." She still looked down beacuase of her burden. "It's like you're running away from something on your own. I'll force you to see Strawhat now."

I got ready to use my Coup de boo.

I grabbed her between my legs as I prepared my Coup de boo. My butt expanded.

Yeah that sounds wrong on so many levels but that was the only way for me to grab her with my hands tied.

As we landed on the roof, we saw Strawhat and Black Fox waiting on the roof.

* * *

 **Robin POV**

As I got out of that disgusting position, I looked and saw Luffy and Yuuto.

Luffy started waving. "Hey Robin! I'm glad you're still here!"

"Wait there, I'll come get you guys." Yuuto said.

"Wait!" I yelled.

That stopped both of them. It took a lot for me to say this because I didn't want them to get hurt.

"I've told you several times. I'll never come back to you! Go away. I never want to see your faces again!" I paused. "Why did you come to rescue me? When did I ask you to do that? Was it because of our deal?" I looked angrily at Yuuto.

I had forgotten about the deal I had with Yuuto. The adventures we had together were nice and made me feel that I was one of them. However, when he reminded me about that deal showed that it didn't really mean anything. He considered us as just partners nothing more.

Not even nakama.

Yuuto looked surprised and yelled. "That deal changed. I didn't trust you back then. I trust you now. You became nakama to me too! Now stay there, and we'll get you out of there!"

I paused. I felt a little relief to hear Yuuto say that. He wasn't the type to admit something like that freely. However, I was still afraid. "I just want to die!"

This entire time, my life had been a burden. I have only caused people trouble. It would be better if I died. I then heard clapping. I turned and saw CP9.

"What are you doing? They risked their lives to come this far." Franky asked me.

He soon got kicked by one of CP9 members. The other CP9 then stood together in front of me.

"Robin is death what you want?" Luffy asked.

"Haha! Listen to his scream! I wonder what the look on his face is while saying that." Spanda continued.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luffy responded with his finger up his nose.

I was surprised how nonchalant he acted.

My former captain admitted. "Listen Robin, we've come all the way here." As if that was a signal, the roof behind him opened up. "We're gonna rescue you anyway and if you still wanna die, then die afterwards."

Nami landed gracefully. Chopper fell. Zoro climbed up. Sanji made a kick through the air causing a different hole.

All of them came this far.

Sanji looked at Zoro in shock. Then Usopp flew to the top.

"I don't care what you want, whether you choose to live or to die. But whatever you decide say it while you're with us." Luffy continued.

"That's right Robin-chan!" Sanji shouted.

"Robin come back!" Nami and Chopper yelled out.

Zoro stood quiet but he looked ready to fight. Yuuto was double checking his gloves.

I couldn't help but stare at them.

"Now leave everything to us!" Luffy shouted.

It was still touching but the threat was still real.

Spandam the shouted. "CP9. Listen guys. I give you permission to wipe them out but only at the Tower of Justice." He then looked at the Strawhats. "We have the full strength of CP9 and I have the authority to trigger the 'Buster Call.' " I gasped. He looked at me. "That's right. 20 years ago. It's the power that obliterated your hometown."

"Stop it! Don't do that!" I pleaded. Does this idiot know the power of the Buster Call? The amount of power that has.

Spandam taunted. "I like that response. It's very thrilling. Does that mean I should press the trigger?"

"Do you even know what will happen if you press it?" I shouted. "If you ask for the buster call now, you'll be blown up too… along with Enies Lobby." I continued shouting. "That attack is now aimed at the dear nakama that I've found. The more I wish to be with you, the more my fate will come at you. Because my enemy is the 'world' and its 'darkness.'"

I paused to catch my breath. "First, with Aokiji. Now this. If this goes on forever, even good-natured people like you will consider me as a burden. In time, you'll betray and abandon me!" I said explaining my fears. "That's what I'm most afraid of..."

After all this time, I finally found good people not to betray. If they ended up betraying me like everyone else, my life would be meaningless.

"That's why I didn't want you to come and save me! If it's a life that I'll eventually lose, I want to die right her, right now." I confessed. I didn't want to see them betraying me.

I looked at them expecting them to leave. They looked pondering my words.

I closed my eyes afraid of what their response was. All this time, I was only protecting myself from what would happen.

Spandam pointed at the flag on top. "That mark represents the unity of over 170 nations. This is the world. Do you understand how big of an organization is after her?"

"I understand Robin's enemy very well." I heard Luffy's voice. "Sogeking, shoot that flag!"

Wait. What! I opened my eyes.

I saw Usopp burn the flag immediately without any hesitation.

"No way." I gasped. They were willing to fight my enemy…. For me…..

At that moment, I started crying. They never planned to betray me.

"Are you bastards insane! Don't you dare to even dream that you'd survive having the world as your enemy!" Spandam yelled.

"Bring it on!" yelled Luffy. "Robin! I haven't heard it from you yet say you wanna live!" He continued.

I never thought I could be able to wish that I could live. No one let me wish for it.

" _One day you'll find true friends...friends who'll stand by you no matter what!_ _"_

If I have such true friends, maybe I can really declare my wish…

"I wanna live! Take me to the sea with you guys!" I yelled out. [1]

The draw bridge started lowering.

I was then dragged away from the edge by Spandam.

Franky blocked the way.

* * *

 **Franky POV**

This must be the reason why Master Tom helped Gold Roger.

It was a feeling of trust that I can't help but bet my life and Pluton on them. I showed CP-9 the blueprints.

Spanda stood in shock. I turned the pages. Kaku and Lucci looked in shock.

"It's real? Give it to me. That's what I want." Spandam ordered.

I ignored him. "Nico Robin. I understand that you are not the demon who's trying to abuse the weapon. What shipwrights of Water Seven have passed down from generation to generation is not how to make the weapon."

I looked at Spanda with his hands out trying to reach the blueprints.

"Listen Spanda. What Tom and Iceburg have protected by risking their lives, if the ancient weapon falls into your hands and starts its rampage, there needs to be another weapon. It's true that you can use Nico Robin to revive the weapon. But now, she has her nakama who'll protect her. So I'll make a bet."

I took the blueprints and burned them.

"If Nico Robin falls into your hands, we're doomed. But if the Strawhats win, you will have nothing left. So I'll place my bet on them!"

I smirked. I knew they were going to win. If they didn't, they didn't deserve my dream ship.

I was then distracted hearing my boys come to rescue me. Who told them that they could rescue me? I'm not going to cry because they came to rescue me. In my moment of weakness, Spanda threw me off.

As I fell down, I hit a train and came crashing through the tower. I was lucky that I was a cyborg otherwise it would have hurt more. I met up with the rest of the Strawhats.

Luffy yelled. "Hurry. Let's got get Robin!"

"Wait!"

We all looked in the corner.

It was the weird owl CP9 agent. "You won't find Nico Robin. Lucci and chief took her to the Gates of Justice. There's no way for you to free Robin unless you defeat us." He then held out a key. "Look at this! This key can unlock the seastone handcuffs that are on Robin."

"Then give it to me" Luffy stretched his hands to try and grab the technique.

The owl guy ran away. "I never said this was the real key. Maybe it's the key to a different pair of handcuffs. There are 6 CP9 members in this tower each holding a key. We're just giving you a chance. See ya!"

Luffy tried chasing after him. Zoro held him a bit.

"Wait! We have to think about this." Yuuto said.

I quickly counted. There's 8 of us here and 6 of them. Yuuto thought about it.

"Actually, Luffy go. Beat the pigeon guy. He's the strongest one out of all of them." Everyone nodded at that. Luffy continued running. "With Luffy out, there's still 7 of us and we have to fight 6 CP9 members and get all 6 keys. The priority are the keys. Be careful of their fighting style. We then meet up with Luffy. Let's move out." Yuuto said.

I nodded. I quickly filled up myself with cola. I had about 6 extra bottles left. I continued running toward a random corridor to find an opponent.

I soon found the owl guy.

"I'm Fukurou. Did you want the key?"

Yes. I then started using my Franky boxing immediately.

He grunted in pain. Just as I was about to land one more hit, he used his soru and started hovering up in the air.

"What's up with your punches? You're not a normal human are you?

I grinned. "I'm a cyborg. My fists are real iron."

He didn't come back down so I decided to shoot him with one of my beams.

He dodged it, but as he came to hit me, I threw him down and fired at him.

I ran to find a room with more space.

He then punched me while I ran. I punched him back.

After that, we started insulting each other punches.

Once I found an open room, I then used the strongest punch.

"Sorry buddy, but my punches earlier were indeed weak ones."

I then fired a Coup de Vent on him before he could recover. I fired him and he hit the wall.

I quickly reloaded my cola in case he recovered. I was down to my last 3.

I looked and saw him knocked out unconscious. I checked his possessions and found the #4 key.

That's one down. I'll see if any of the other Straw hats needed help.

* * *

Meanwhile

 **Chopper POV**

I was running around the building until I heard Nami choking. I quickly ran over and saw her being choked by hair.

I tried to see if I could transform to arm point without the Rumble ball again.

I could transform without Rumble ball now; however, I could not pick the form I wanted consistently though. The ones that I transformed most consistently were jump point and defense point.

Luckily enough, I was able to transform to arm point.

I hit him from the behind. He released his hold and fell.

Nami started coughing. "Nami. Are you ok?" I didn't want to lose another nakama. It was close because Nami was about to stop breathing any moment.

"Thanks Chopper. You saved me." She appreciated graciously.

I would have told her to shut up because of her compliment but now wasn't the time."What is that? Is he a DF user?

"I'm not sure. He controlled his hair. Anyways we can run now Chopper."

"But we didn't get the key?" I was confused.

She took out key . It had the number 3. "I stole it without being noticed, but I couldn't run away."

Right. Nami was a good pick pocket. Maybe we didn't have to fight. We just needed to grab the keys. Time is important. The longer we take, the harder it is to get to Robin.

However, the agent stood up. "I won't let you get away!"

"Nami. You run and get more keys. I'll take care of him." I said. It seemed the best plan. Nami could steal the other keys. I guess that means Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Yuuto as most likely to get keys.

Nami nodded and ran. As the agent tried to grab her again, I ran up to him and hit him again.

Just as I was about to hit him again, he disappeared. I transformed to walk point to smell better.

His scent was above me. I looked up and saw him position his staff. I jumped out the way.

I looked at the damage he caused. He then started poking at me.

I tried to transform again but I accidentally went to guard point. I was thinking about jump point to dodge away.

He did poke me but I flew harmlessly away and slightly bounced against a wall.

I transformed back to brain point and used a rumble ball. I didn't want to use a rumble ball so soon especially with so many strong enemies. However, time was important.

I could only take one more. If I took 2, then I wouldn't control it.

I went to arm point as soon as I saw him used soru. He then appeared behind to me and I punched him almost immediately.

Yuuto mentioned they have a habit of doing something like that.

However, it felt like punching iron.

I had to go on the offensive otherwise I would be wasting time. I haven't figured out an actual weakness yet.

His hair then became fists. I quickly went to guard point and tried to look at his fighting style.

Right when he pulled back his punches, I went to arm point. However, he started attacking me again.

I started bleeding and fell back.

I just need to land one punch. My strongest attack. He should be knocked down.

As he came closer to me to finish me off, I then went to jumping point and jumped in the air.

I then transformed back arm point. As I was going down, I hit him with my strongest attack on his head.

 **Kokutei Roseo Metel!**

As I came back down, I started panting. I was sure my rumble ball was out.

If I didn't finish him off with that attack, I either have to keep doing it or use 2 rumble balls at once.

I looked at him. Please collapse. He then roared and slammed his foot on my head. He then continued kicking me.

If I keep doing what I did before, I won't survive.

I was angry at myself for being so weak. I couldn't protect Robin. I couldn't even beat one agent.

Just as he was wrapped his hair around me, I started crying.

This was the only way. I made a promise to be more dependable, but I failed that promise when I couldn't keep Robin safe.

Now I was going to die just because I didn't keep a close eye on Robin.

Everyone. Please don't come near me.

I popped two rumble balls in my mouth.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I used my observation Haki to the nearest unfamiliar presence I felt. As I opened the door, I saw no one.

Was I wrong?

The door closed. I turned around.

"Please make yourself at home." It was Kalifa.

I cursed my luck. I don't like fighting women. I can punch a girl, but that doesn't mean I'll like it.

"Would you like to have some tea?" she smiled at me.

I was about to say no, but she sorued next to me and took off my mask. She put it on the floor.

She looked at me closer. Did she recognize me?

"You look familiar." She said a little cutely.

I sighed. I did owe her a date even though I stood her up yesterday.

"I was Uesugi Fuutarou. It was just a disguise yesterday."

She then remembered and looked a little angry. 'You..." as she raised her leg to kick me. I blocked it and lightly threw her.

I looked at the table that did have some tea prepared. Great. Now I feel guilty standing up a girl that I accepted the date with.

I looked at her. As she got up ready to fight, I put my hand up. I blurted out. "Wait! I'll have some tea with you." This could work. I would just steal the key from her.

Kalifa sputtered. "Do you think that would work on me?" She wiped the dust off her.

I said, "Well… I technically do owe you a date. You asked me out remember. After the date, we can fight."

"Ok!" She said a little cheerfully. As if we weren't enemies.

As she made her way to the table to sit down, I pulled her chair up. "After you." I offered to her.

She nodded at that and took her seat.

I took a closer look at her and compared her to how she looked yesterday. She had her hair down which did make her look prettier compared to her bun. She did look less sophisticated, but she did look more attractive. She also wore a fishnet shirt and stockings. I breathed and tried to remain calm at that.

"You look beautiful." I complimented genuinely. I then poured her some tea first and then myself.

She blushed. "Thanks. You are quite the charmer aren't you." She then gave some thought. "You know, when your crew came to us the other day, there was another guy who also called me pretty." She paused a minute. "I caught him looking at me but pretended I didn't notice. He was… kind of cute." She said the last part hesitantly.

I blushed at that knowing who she was referring to. I drank some tea. "That was also me." I confessed as I put the tea down.

"Oh." She said. She also took a sip. "I knew that."

There was an awkward pause. I looked at the ground not knowing what else to say. It was going well so far.

I inwardly groaned. We were on opposite ends of the spectrum. A bodyguard/pirate and an assassin/government agent on a date. There was no way this was going to work..

"You know. I forgot about the date yesterday." I admitted truthfully. "There was a lot to plan on how to get Robin back." I added. She looked at me. There was a hint of anger. "If I had known it was going to be this fun, I would have gone." That anger disappeared. "How long did I make you wait?" I asked.

"I waited for thirty minutes before I had leave. I had a lot to plan for the attack last night too." She sipped her cup. She was considering something.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"Don't be. I was going to leave by 4:00 either way. Work is important." She said.

"So that's part is the true you?" I asked. She looked at me confused. I elaborated. "I know that when you guys would go on a secret mission, you would pretend to be someone else." That was a way to feel that you didn't belong with anyone if you pretended to be someone else. "It's nice to see the serious side of you as a government agent carried over to you as a secretary."

She gave it some thought. "Iceburg did say that I was always focused on work. He was a kind boss to give me days off even when I told him no." she let out. She then placed her hands on her cup. She reminisced a little. There was a hint of regret. "I don't think it's attractive to be serious." She confessed.

I got up slightly from my chair and held my hands on her hands. "I think it is." She looked at me in shock. I removed my hands from her and stood up. "I think it's good to show how serious you are about your work. It shows that you mean all business and you aren't likely to fool around. That's important in a relationship."

She also stood up. "Really?"

I moved closer to her. "Yes." She smiled at that. I was about an arms length away and started staring at her lips. "But it's also ok to know when to have some fun." I then bent a little down to move my head closer to hers. I stopped for a moment, and she didn't push me away.

I smiled, taking that she accepted what I was about to do, and kissed her on the lips lightly. I stopped and backed a little.

Soon enough, she grabbed me, threw me on her seat, and came closer to me.

She leaned her body close to mine, so I felt her body on top of my bpdy. She got on my lap and whispered seductively in my ear. "I think I can show you how fun I can be." I nodded and she continued kissing me. She wanted access to my mouth. I let her in and put my hand around her shoulder and another hand close to her posterior to help pull her closer to me.

As we were kissing, I accidentally touched her butt to try to get a better hold of her. She stopped kissing me, looked at me, and said in a serious manner, "That's sexual harassment." a little weakly.

I looked back at her and tried to respond with the same seriousness, "That's not all I'm going to do." She blushed and laughed. I leaned my head slightly forward as if to continue and gave her a questioning look for her permission. She nodded.

After about forty seconds of our make out session, I sensed something and pulled back. I pretended to breath heavily.

I looked at her. She also blushed at what transpired. She tried to fix her hair that didn't need to be fixed in my opinion.

"Still." I started speaking. "We shouldn't be doing this. Not now."

She smiled at me eye level. "Then why don't you join us and help kill your friends? We could have fun afterward." She winked suggestively and slid a little down, putting her bosom around my stomach. It was a little suggestive. She got off and turned around with her hand on my shoulder.

She chuckled a little and whispered to my ear "You can help us make sure that evil woman reveals all the secrets we need. Then we can have more fun like this later on." She seemed to have regained some of her strength.

I closed my eyes, shook my head and slightly growled. I put her hand away. I got up away from the seat. Even though I saw her cleavage, I focused back on why I was here. "That woman is my friend. Besides, I don't want to work for the Government like a dog."

She started glaring at me when I said that. She properly stood up and backed away."What. You get nice benefits working with the government."

"I worked for the World Nobles. Those benefits were over rated." I continued. I then took a stance.

"I guess our date's over." She turned serious. I nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. "Pity, I had fun on this date."

"I did too." I answered that part a little truthfully.

It was going well. I had fun and was aroused until I sensed that she was literally going to stab me in the back. That's why she tried to fix her hair to hide the small knife back in her hair. I sensed that with my observation Haki. Her emotion training needed some work. However, she was still serious about her job.

Just like I was from the beginning when I planned to steal her key.

She soon started kicking me and I matched her kick for kick.

Soon enough, I was able to kick her face. I made sure I had no openings. Trying to kill me while she was kissing me like that was dirty.

Just when she was about to kick me again, I sidestepped and grabbed both of her wrists.

She started wincing at that. I didn't apply that much force when I grabbed both of them. Was she reacting to the seastone?

At that moment, the doors bust open.

I saw Nami.

"Oh. Yuu-"

I looked at her not to say my real name.

"Black Fox, I'll fight her if you want me to." She asked as she took out her climatact.

I nodded in relief. I told her before that I don't enjoy hurting women. She agreed that she would fight my opponents who were women if I felt that she could win. I threw Kalifa at the ground toward Nami. I quickly grabbed my mask on the floor.

"Careful. She is also a devil fruit user." I warned her.

Kalifa looked at me in shock. "How did you -?" She didn't finish her question as Nami struck her.

Nami then asked me another question while Kalifa was facing down on the ground struggling to get up. "Did you happen to -?"

I nodded yes. I grabbed Nami's key and quickly left the doors.

She had the number 3 key. I grabbed the key from my pocket once I was outside.

It was number 2.

Like, I said earlier, I was also serious about my mission. I did plan to steal the key from Kalifa from the very beginning. I stole it from Kalifa when she came onto me to kiss me. Nevermind about what happened afterward.

I continued running toward where I sensed Usopp. He was about to be in trouble. [2]

* * *

 **Nami POV**

As Yuuto left, I noticed that he wasn't wearing his mask. That's weird. He always wears his mask in these types of situations.

Kalifa got up and looked at me. She looked slightly embarrassed and tapped her body suggestively. "How did that man get my key?"

"If you want to get to him, you have to go through me." I warned. I'll ask Yuuto where she hid her key later.

She then used Soru and appeared behind me. "I guess I'll have fun with you instead." She then wrapped me around and I was covered with bubbles.

She yelled "Golden hour!"

My body felt slippery. I can't hold climatact well. I can hardly stand up.

"What did you turn my body into?" I was angry. She messed up my beautiful skin.

"I just made every part of you body smooth. You have the silkiest skin though. I envy you."

I got a grip on my climatact and started producing cool bubbles. I need to set up mirages.

She tried stabbing me but missed.

All of a sudden, a giant monster came and started destroying the room.

"Zoan user…. Is that your trump card?"

Is she crazy? I'm right here.

I looked more at the monster. It looks like a reindeer.

Wait, that hat. It's Chopper. Kalifa started attacking Chopper.

"Hey! Don't attack my doctor!" I yelled.

She then noticed me. Chopper also saw me. He then tried to smash me. Does he not recognize me because I look like this? Or is he not Chopper?

I ignored what Kalifa was saying. "Chopper! Look at me! It's Nami!"

He then threw the bathtub in the room. I also heard Kalifa murmur something.

"… Never have I been embarrassed so many times in my life."

I looked at her. What's her problem?

The room soon had some debris and pipes floating around. Chopper seemed to have fallen through the hole.

"What happened to Chopper? I've got to hurry and stop him!"

Kalifa asked. "That's your nakama. You pirates sure keep a creep pet!"

I didn't say anything but tried to think of a way to help him. It seemed Chopper needed to be saved first. And then Robin. I then saw Kalifa kick. I was able to dodge it.

I was faster than before. I looked and saw one foot was back to normal. Was the soap or bubble washed? I could use rain.

I then made a couple clouds. She looked. I then used my cool ball. "The forecast is rain!"

Soon enough, she tried to stop what I was doing and I was able to block the attack. The rain started.

She then looked at me. "You're not very cute are you? I made you skin shiny and all..."

I stuck a tongue out. "If being cute means not being able to fight you back, then I'd rather not be."

I continued making another mirage. I have to catch her offguard. I started releasing as many thunder clouds as I could. Thunder hit her.

She was shocked but she was still standing. I quickly got ready for my final technique.

 **Mirage tempo.**

She started trying to find me kicking every mirage she could find. She then looked like was going to cause a tidal wave of bubbles to wash out all the mirages.

I quickly used cyclone tempo to blow some away and waited for the thunder to come.

However, she found out which one was the real me and tried to stab me. "I thought it was an illusion."

I started taunting her. "You forgot. You should listen to a navigator's forecast."

I smirked. It was too late.

 **Thunder lance tempo.**

She was knocked out. I was going to make my way to help Chopper now.

* * *

Few minutes earlier

 **Usopp POV**

I ran to a room with a couch.

Good it was empty. No one was here.

I agreed with Yuuto's plan. However, there is a slight problem. I can't fight against these people. They'd kill me!

My best plan was to wait a bit safe and sound. Trust my friends to get the key while I would then catch up.

I started counting to one thousand. I'm sure they'll get one key by then.

As I closed the door and started counting, I heard something.

I looked around and saw the door open.

I then took out my Kabuto slingshot.

Now that I have dials, I can use this to its full potential.

I looked carefully.

Think, if these guys are assassins, then they would attack me from…

I quickly turned around. No one was there.

Maybe I was being paranoid.

I then heard snoring.

I screamed and looked behind me. It was a giant wolf. He wasn't there before.

Wait. Is that a key in front of me?

I smiled at my luck. This was really lucky. I don't have to fight I could just grab the key and run.

Just as I was about to sneak on him, I remembered what Yuuto warned me about.

These people fight dirty.

I then got ready to fire at him. I fired a special bullet at him.

It was a bullet I designed to help trap the opponent. My opponent had fifteen steel wires tied around his arms and another fifteen steel wires around his legs.

I quickly ran to get the key. However, I heard some of the wires snap.

I needed to get out of there.

"Rankyaku!" I heard him yell.

That hit me from behind but I survived. I coughed out some blood.

How could I beat him?

Even if I was far away, he'd be next to me in an instant.

I heard a faint cry of shigan.

The attack never came. I saw Sanji blocking him with his leg… [3]

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

I looked at the wolf agent. I heard Usopp pant behind me.

"Sorry, Sanji-kun… I… I couldn't really handle. " He started.

"As long as you're alive that's fine." I interrupted him. Even though he wasn't my crew mate anymore, he was still a friend. "Everyone has something he can and cannot do. Go outside." I ordered.

Yuuto did have the right plan, but Usopp wasn't suited to grab the keys. He was better suited in making sure Robin didn't go through the Gates of Justice.

Plus, with the whole events that happened. Usopp needed a confidence boost.

"The situation has gone from bad to worse." I couldn't afford to play around. The longer we take, the more likely that Robin is gone. "Leave his key to me. I'll do whatever you cannot do. And you do whatever I cannot do!"

This is something that only Usopp can do. The rest of us cannot help Robin right now.

"Think carefully. Understand the situation. If you manage to get there, you can surely rescue Robin-chan, Usopp!" I needed to call him by his real name.

Usopp nodded. I knew from his body language he gained some of his confidence. The wolf guy howled and used Soru. "Go!" I yelled. Usopp started running. I used Soru too to block my opponent off

He tried stabbing Usopp, but I blocked it again.

"You… How can you use one of the Rokushiki techniques?" He asked.

I smirked. Yuuto definitely had the correct theory behind how to use it. He just never practiced it saying that he didn't want to rely on it. "Someone gave me the theory behind it."

"Well. Let's see if you know any other techniques. Tekkai kenpo!"

I stopped it with my knee and flew away.

"Looks like you only know Soru. Still that's impressive if…." I was able to kick his face and caused him to crash to a wall.

I didn't just know how to use Soru. When I saw those guys use Geppo back at the train, I realized what their movements were. I think I can imitate them.

As if he heard my thoughts, he quickly tried to punch me. We kept hitting each other.

"Your technique that hardens your body like steel is so troublesome." I admitted. Thankfully, I thought of another technique. I then kicked and it seemed like I pushed him away.

Just as he charged back at me with his claws, I tried kicking him but ended up being hit. "Out of all the rokushiki users, the only one who can move while using tekkai is me!"

Soon enough, I was thrown and went through the wall to the stairs. I got up and waited for him to come at me.

As we continued our fight, I was trying to decide when to use the new move I thought of. He then started jumping on into the open area and used Geppo. He tried to use to use that distance to charge at me.

As he was about to charge, I decided try it and quickly spun around.

"What the..."

 **Diable Jambe**

"A leg that has gained plenty of heat in addition to attacking speed will have ..." I kicked him.

He yelled "Hot!" as he flew across the room.

"The destructive power of the devil!" I continued.

"It burned me. Tekkai didn't work at all!"

Of course not, metal heats up too quickly.

I quickly jumped into the air. I heard him say "Idiot jumping against a Rokushiki user into the air!"

Just as he started using Geppo toward me, I also mimicked his movements and dodged him.

"You can also use Geppo too!" He said.

I ignored him and kicked him again, making sure he goes down.

 **Diable Jambe Flambage Shot!**

He was knocked out. "God creates food and the devil creates the seasoning." My feet then cooled down.

It was good that my feet weren't tired from that.

I then looked around and grabbed his key.

#1.

This will be the key that frees Robin-chan! It will also be the key to her heart! [4]

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

Blueno tried to punch me. I grabbed his fist.

I smirked at him.

I was probably one of the worst possible matchups for CP 9.

One, I have seastone gloves. That was going to hurt those devil fruit users a lot.

Secondly, I have Observation Haki. They know what their fighting style should do.

Thirdly, and most importantly, I fought against/with Rokushiki users at least four times a month during my old job.

I can expect what they should be doing because most Rokushiki users focus on using these six techniques. Unlike them, I knew how to do strikes, grapples, and throws. Still, I cannot underestimate him and his power.

"So, we have the Black Fox himself." He said.

"We didn't talk much on the train. I take it you heard of me." I smirked.

"You made quite a name for yourself. We at CP9 -"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You guys talk with CP0. They mentioned about you guys before." I told them.

"Then why would a Chaser like you stop working for the World Nobles?" he continued.

I glared at him. Chasers were our job titles. "Those Nobles are idiots. I'm glad that I was able to retire and become a pirate."

"You of all people should know the consequences of working against the World Government and the nobles behind them."

"I'd worry more about yourself right now." I said. I dropped one of his fists and punched him.

I then jumped in the air, kneed his stomach, and kicked him.

He was still standing up getting ready to use Soru.

Instinctively, I then did a round house kick behind me.

He was so predictable. Now with observation Haki, this was easy. At that, he disappeared.

I couldn't find him. I closed my eyes to sense him.

There was no point in trying to find him if he had the doa doa powers.

I heard the floor slightly change and I jumped forward with my eyes closed.

"How did you?" I heard him.

I then opened my eyes and twisted in mid air as I saw him try to grab me.

I got my left arm around his neck and threw him to the ground. I predicted that he was going to punch me with his left arm and I grabbed it with my right hand.

I then changed my position so I could choke him with my legs, while holding his arm with arm spread out. I prefer choking my opponents to save energy. I needed to finish this quick.

Chopper's aura was fading. Chopper was out of control. Usopp was safe earlier because Sanji intervened.

After struggling for one minute, he ran out of breath and I grabbed his key.

I had the #2, #3, and #6 key now.

Then, a monster came in the room and roared.

I looked at it more closely.

It felt like Chopper and had his hat.

He has a transformation like this? It soon noticed me and tried to whack me.

He couldn't recognize me. The only thing to do was to knock him unconscious and hope he turns back to normal.

Soon, I heard Franky. "Hey is that your doctor?" He came in.

"Yes."

"You know what to do?"

"No." I answered honestly. "I didn't even know he could do this. Take the keys I have and run to Robin. We need to hurry." I gave the keys to Franky. "I'll take care of Chopper."

Franky nodded and started running again.

Chopper then started attacking the wall. I ran to him and punched his shoulder. I didn't want to hit his face and cause some brain damage.

He tried grabbing onto me but I kept going higher in the air with the milky dials installed. I couldn't sense what Chopper was going to do, just his presence. I would consider that more later. I need to make Chopper unconscious or turn back to normal. His presence was getting weaker.

He started wheezing. I need to help him quick. This transformation must hurt his body.

I landed on the shoulder and he tried to whack me. I had jumped off so he ended up hurting himself. He was about to punch me and I decided to try and block it with my hands. Maybe I could use his momentum to go make him go out.

Unfortunately, that pushed me through the wall. I landed outside.

I was lucky that he pushed me less than the initial force he had. It must be the seastone in my gloves to his body. Wait. I looked out and saw the ocean behind me.

I stood by the ocean and waited for Chopper to attack me.

As he came running, I rolled behind him and kicked his back.

I also heard "Cyclone tempo!"

Monster Chopper then was pushed forward with both my kick and Nami's help. I looked at Nami gave her a thumbsup for the help and quickly dove in to get him.

I found our doctor back to normal. I'll ask him about this transformation when he regains consciousness. Nami also came rushing to check on both of us.

* * *

 **Zoro POV**

I found the guy who looked like Usopp sitting in a chair.

"I see you've already drawn your sword." He noted.

"It's been growling. It craves blood." I admitted. I was angry about this entire situation. The government abuse its power toward a woman.

I looked at him. I felt that he had Robin's key. "You have the key to Robin's handcuffs, right? Why don't you give it to me before you get killed?"

Kaku laughed a little. "That's a silly question. I've been regretting that I didn't get to see your real skill back at Water 7?" He stood up and took out his two swords. "You're a scary man. But my swordsmanship is the best in CP9. Don't underestimate me."

"Nitouryu huh?" I looked at his two swords.

He then tried to slice the air with the two swords he had hidden in his legs.

I blocked the attack with my two swords. I quickly put Wado Ichimonji in my mouth.

"Sorry, but actually yontoryu."

"No problem. Now I remember that your whole body is a weapon." I needed to be serious.

Our swords clashed several times. I didn't have any openings and he didn't make any openings. He then jumped in the air and was about to release his Rankyaku.

 **72 Pound cannon.**

Our attacks collided and caused smoke to appear. He then tried running to me in the smoke and tried to strike at me. I blocked it and pushed him.

He spun around. I ran to him to try to slice him.

"This is fun!" He admitted as he dodged it

"I have no times for games." I need to beat you and get the key. My crew mates are counting on me.

He then jumped into the air and used his two blades to make him stay on top.

"Then come get me. **Rankyaku ran**!"

I had to block every thing that he sliced at me. After he stopped, I panted a little to catch my breath.

"If you're in such a hurry, then allow me to show you my new ability." He then changed shape. To a giraffe human.

"That looks absurd." I said.

What did I just say? It was so shocking that I couldn't hold back. His square nose was even bigger than normal. I can't lose focus. If I do, my swords will lose their sharpness and I can't use armament Haki.

He then warned me. "Don't underestimate the giraffe." He then got on one arm and started spinning.

I ducked. I looked at the ceiling and noticed it got cut through. He then tried to cut me while I was distracted.

I dodged. "I hope your long neck won't be your weakness." I taunted.

He moved his neck out of the way. He then looked like he was going to shoot me with his nose. I had to block it with my swords. As I landed, I dodged another of his nose attack.

I looked back and saw that it made a square hole in the rock. That nose is not only abnormally large but also scary. I need to finish this quick. I then wore my headband.

 **Nitouryuu Nigiri**

I then tried to slash him upward but he dodged. Just as he was about to use his nose again, I struck first. Some blood came out his nose. I finally cut him through his Tekkai.

He then sorued away. "Guess, I can't use my nose anymore to attack. You are a scary opponent Roronoa Zoro." He breathed. He then twisted his body into a box. "With this square stance, I have no blind spot!"

"Shut up! Fight me seriously!" I yelled. I was being made fun of.

"Tekkai! Rankyaku!"

"Are you going to fight or not?" When nothing happened. I was becoming annoyed at this. I wasn't being taken seriously.

"What are you looking at? My attack has already begun!"

I looked up and saw that his slashing attacks will be reflected down by the ceiling.

There were too many for me to block, so I had to let some scratch me. I started bleeding. There were at least 20 cuts on my body.

As he broke his box formation, I quickly used this time to take out one sword. "First, let me break your Tekkai again." I reported. I need to focus my will to fight.

 **Shishi sonson.**

I cut through him and caused him to bleed again. That must by me using armament haki for sure. However, he was still standing up.

"I guess I need to end this soon. Otherwise, I will be in big trouble soon. Especially if you can cut through my Tekkai" Kaku reported.

He then started changing his reach with his arms and legs.

"I'm a Yontouryu swordsman. I can maximize the giraffe's power by changing my reach." He tried attacking me.

"I don't care." I shouted. "Not one of them is a good enough reason to defeat me!"

We continued clashing our swords.

Eventually, we stopped fighting and both backed away. It seemed that we mutually decided to finish this with one more attack.

"I'll use the strongest rankyaku to cut you in half and end this!"

I smirked. I prepared a new stance.

 **Kyuutouryuu Asura.**

We both clashed a final time.

He didn't hit me. I cut his body and he bled.

I had won.

He morphed back to his normal human form. He laid on the ground.

"I have a message from your Galley-La's boss. You guys are fired." I took off my headband. I could joke around now. He laughed at that.

"I see. That's a problem. Assassin as a profession won't be able to get me another job."

"You'll always have the zoo." I said seriously.

"That's funny." He then dropped the key.

I picked it up. It was key #5. I needed to hurry and get this to my crew. I took too much time.

Sanji then came up to me.

"Oy! Marimo! I got a key! I saw Franky run past me with 4 other keys. We're just missing one now. It doesn't matter if you got the last key. My key's going to be the one that saves Robin."

I smiled. "I got the last key just in case. Let's hurry to where Robin is."

"Follow me. We should actually go to Usopp!" He said.

What was Usopp going to do?

* * *

 **Usopp POV**

I found a nice camping spot on top of Judicial tower.

I breathed. What if I failed?

I wasn't Sogeking, king of snipers. It was just a lie I made up.

Sanji's words soon echoed to me.

" _I'll do whatever you cannot do. And you do whatever I cannot do!"_

He was right. I was the only one who could help stall for Robin from such a far distance.

I took out my Kabuto.

My hands shook.

The wind is blowing at 10 knots per hour southeast.

This is crazy.

I've never done something like this before. I then looked and found Robin being dragged by Spandam approximately 1.5 kilometers away.

Robin was biting her teeth on the bridge.

She was waiting for all of us.

I breathed again. I was going to have to become the king of snipers in order to pull this off. I set up my Kabuto and my bullets.

I saw Spandam kick her until she let go of the edge of the bridge.

I growled. I can't hesitate anymore.

I calculated where my bullet would be in three seconds. That's the amount of time that it would travel across this distance.

He was about 20 steps away from the Gates of Justice. I had to predict where he would be in three seconds.

I fired a special fire bullet for him.

One

I heard an explosion near the base of the bridge.

There's no way I missed that bad. The time of impact was too soon. I continued firing my extra bullets trusting my initial instincts.

I can't fail now. Someone fell out of the bridge.

Two.

Robin was about three steps away from the Gates of Justice.

Three.

I heard a boom. I smiled. That was my hit.

Robin looked confused at these events.

Eventually, she looked at my direction and seemed to start crying.

I pointed in the air and started singing. "On the Sniper Island, I was born..."

Maybe, Robin would recognize me and cheer up. She looked like she needed a laugh.

"Look our sniper rules!" I heard Sanji cry. "Take that you marine bastards." I agreed with him. "Robin-chan run!"

Zoro looked at me. "Does he really need to sing?"

Don't lie about it Zoro, I know you well enough that you would smirk when you heard me start singing.

Yuuto appeared next to me. "That's quite a feat. But first, focus. Take out the rest of the marines and sing later."

I stopped singing. I pouted "Party pooper."

I quickly fired at the rest of the marines who took out their guns.

They were about to fire at Robin. They would fire before my bullets would make it in time.

Luckily, Franky appeared and blocked the bullets.

With the appropriate backup, I quickly fired a package. This time, it contained the keys I got from Sanji and Zoro.

"Franky-kun. Franky-kun. This is Sogeking." I spoke inside.

"Hmm… This denden mushi is supposed to be from…" He responded.

I interrupted. "You should see a red cloth bundle around there."

I saw him look around. "Found it!"

"There are two keys in it. With the keys you have, they should complete the whole set!" I said.

I saw Franky go behind Robin. He didn't listen to me. I heard him say "Number 2, no… number 3, nope…., number 4, not that one either,… number 6, can't even go in the lock."

"There are two more in my package Franky!" I reminded.

"Right. Number 1, doesn't work. Number 5 works!"

In the background, I heard Sanji cry at that. Yuuto just went, "All that effort and none of my keys worked." He shook his head.

Robin looked at her hands. She was free. She almost collapsed.

"Hey, hey pull yourself together." I heard Franky say.

Spandam looked in shock. I heard him yell "You defeated all the members of CP9 in the tower of justice. That's impossible. I bet you somehow stole the keys and ran!"

Franky ignored him and yelled. "Hey Long Nose. I unlocked her handcuffs." All of us cheered hearing that.

Robin quickly grabbed the den den mushi. "Long-nose kun! Thank you!"

"If you want to express your gratitude, do it later to everyone who worked hard to collect all of the keys. You are Luffy and the others' nakama. Do what you want!" I responded.

She then said. "I won't hold back!" I then looked and saw her use her powers to slap Spandam.

That was too nice of Robin. I should have used another special bullet for him.

Zoro yelled. "Hurry and come down Sogeking!"

As Yuuto was about to give me a ride with his milky dials, I paused. I thought I heard something. I ignored it.

I grabbed onto him as we flew down. As we made it with the rest of our crew, we saw 5 battle ships enter.

Was this Buster Call?

Yuuto wasted no time. "We need to find a boat and get out of here."

We started running. We soon met up with Nami, Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe.

However, we saw a giant tide right behind them.

The water swallowed up all of us. I struggled against the current. There was too much water to swim against and not enough oxygen.

It suddenly became dark.

I heard a voice. "Pull yourselves together. I won't let you die."

I was being pulled and saw a fish tail. I looked and saw green hair like a woman's. Could this be a mermaid?

As I turned and looked, I opened my mouth in shock. It was actually a dugong dragging us out.

Kokoro was a dugong?

* * *

 **Robin POV**

Franky and I secured a nearby marine ship for our escape.

We were just going to wait.

Suddenly, out came Kokoro with the rest of my crew.

They were all alive.

"It must be a miracle!" Franky said.

"I bet they experience sever shock somewhere. Since they've all reached a state of apparent death that they didn't swallow much water." I said truthfully.

"Good for them!" Kokoro said. "I wonder what caused them to be like that."

Franky just admitted. "It was you!"

Kokoro looked at me. "I remember you. You're the one that pirate king brat came to rescue you." I looked at her. "That you would cause something like this. I laughed at his idea of becoming the pirate king, but maybe it'll come true after all all."

I smiled at that. If he's crazy to fight my enemies, then he's crazy to become pirate king.

Soon my allies woke up. They all coughed water.

"Oh. I'm glad you guys are alive!" Kokoro shouted.

Usopp shouted. "Ah. It's true. Mermaids don't exist!" His eyes popped wide open.

"The legend about dugongs being mistaken for mermaids was true after all." Zoro said.

"It was just a dream. Just a crazy imagination I had." Yuuto said.

"Idiot. She hasn't said she's a mermaid yet. Don't give up on the dream!" Sanji said.

"I'm a Icefish mermaid!"

I heard Sanji cry out "No!" Yuuto just shook his head.

I laughed at that. As if he heard my voice, Sanji jumped to me and tried to hug me.

Nami and Chopper hugged me first and pushed me out of the way. I heard him crash to the mast.

"I'm glad we made it Robin! You're safe!" Nami cried out.

"Robin!" Chopper said tearfully.

"Yes..." I smiled honestly. "Thanks to you all."

I looked at Zoro was analyzing the situation. Yuuto came up to meet with him.

Franky then said. "It seems that there was an order not to kill Nico Robin."

Zoro correctly deduced. "If they don't want to kill her, that means they're still planning to get her back."

"They'll try to come get Robin in close combat then." Yuuto smiled at the challenge. He said that in way that said bring it on.

Zoro looked serious. "We wait for Luffy right here and protect Robin while we're at it." I looked at both Zoro and Yuuto. I smiled. It was nice to know that these two who trusted me the least on this ship were willing to go to such lengths to protect me now. It really put a new perspective on how much I meant to them.

Now all there's left to do was wait for our captain.

We'll make it out of here alive.

* * *

Few moments earlier

 **Luffy POV**

I had been fighting this stupid pigeon guy for at least ten minutes. I just let Franky go pass me.

I just started using my Gear Second. He was in his half leopard from.

"It seems that you are short of breath…? Is it because of the steam."

"As long as I can defeat you, everything will be all right." I continued using my moves.

 **Jet Pistol!**

He dodged it. He was about to punch me also, but I dodged it. I punched his rib in the meantime. As we kept our distance, he held where I hit him. He then explained my technique to me.

I didn't really understand what he was referring to. Yuuto just told me not to use Gear 2 for a long time otherwise I would tire myself out.

"It's not a smart thing to do. You're shortening your life."

"It's better than losing something in front of my eyes." I yelled out. That's why I was using Gear 2. I couldn't beat him without using it.

"You're getting your hopes up too much. Within a few minutes, Buster Call will begin." He said. He then kicked and cause a bunch of water to go in.

"Let me look forward to seeing how much of your foolish wish to save and escape with everyone will come true."

I yelled. "What are you doing?" Water came in. If he does that, the entire room and place will flood.

He started leaping up. "It is only a matter of time until this room is completely filled."

I stretched my arms to catch up to him. I couldn't worry about my nakama right now. Not with him still up. "This place is located above sea level." I looked at the previous level below thinking about them. "You must be worried to death about them."

"I will not take my eyes off of you. No matter what they are going through now, they will survive. But if I let you get away, you will kill them." I stated a fact.

"You're really cut out to be the boss." Lucci continued. "But will your abilities meet that resolution." He leaped at me

I stopped using Gear 2 for a moment and dodged the attack.

Just as he finished punching, I quickly stretched my leg around his leg so he couldn't move.

 **Gomu Gomu Rifle.**

I hit his Tekkai.

I bounced back a little bit. I knew that hurt him a little bit.

"If you want to have a battle of fortitude, let me show you my other technique. Gear 3."

I finally mastered the technique since Chopper and Yuuto helped me develop it. I blew air into my hand. He tried taking it head on. I punched him.

 **Giant Pistol!**

He flew out the building and landed on a nearby marine ship.

I also went outside and inflated myself.

I crushed the ship where he was with my foot.

 **Giant Axe!**

The ship broke and started sinking.

However, a leopard bit me. He then kicked me back to where we were fighting.

The ship we broke was soon fired at. "Why are they firing at their own ship?" I asked out loud. It made me angry if they hurt their own friend.

I noticed I shrunk again. I decided to hide for the time being. I just needed to hide for 30 seconds.

I heard him land back on where we were fighting.

Twenty more seconds.

He was following me but he grunted in pain. I looked.

Ten more seconds.

Just as he ignored his pain, he went back toward me.

I punched him.

He stood back. I got ready to do Gear 2 one more time. "I will not stop using this until I defeat you."

He asked me. "Are you going to die by using up your power?"

"I don't know what will happen later. I just know that I will keep my nakama safe." I started panting and our fists collided.

 **Jet Pistol!**

Just as I was about to attack him again, he caught me with his tail. He lifted me up and put his two fists in front of my stomach.

"Allow me to show you the seventh technique of a Rokushiki master!" He yelled. **"Roku ou gun!"**

I coughed out blood. It was like that impact dial. But greatly amplified.

A wall crumbled over.

I heard my nakama scream. I smiled. We got Robin.

We'll make it.

I came and continued punching him.

 **Jet Stamp!**

He took the hit and did the same move again.

I fell to the floor. "Luffy!" I heard someone scream.

I looked.

Usopp came out of nowhere. "Luffy. What are you doing? Wake up!"

"Usopp! You're here?" How did he get here? Why was he here?

"Don't misunderstand me. I only came here to rescue Robin. It's not like I came here to see your face." He continued shouting. Realizing what my condition was, he then pointed at Lucci. "Hey, you. Boss cat of CP9. I'll be your opponent. Come get me!"

Wait. Don't. Usopp. You''ll die.

"Don't. You dare..." I said weakly.

"I have no business with someone who has been defeated. I'll kill everyone anyway." Lucci responded and started walking toward Usopp to take on his challenge.

"That's right. Come here. I'll blow you away." Usopp shouted.

"Are you an idiot? Stop it Usopp! You'll get killed." I shouted. He was still a friend.

"Shut up! What can a half-dead man like you do?" He yelled back.

"I'll finish him off!" I yelled.

"Then stand up right away! Don't act like you're about to die! It's not like you. Even if there are billows of smoke, we can still see the sky! We can still see the ocean!" I slowly got up. Usopp continued. "It ain't' like it's hell here. Don't act like you are about to die. Don't make me worry too much damn it!" He said with some tears.

I'm the one worried the most about all of you guys. I got up. "I know this isn't hell." I started.

"Then win! We'll all go back together!" Usopp shouted.

"Of course. " I yelled back.

I saw Lucci standing there. I began my assault. He prepared one last time and set up his Tekkai.

 **Jet Gatling!**

I didn't count how many punches I threw. I just kept punching until I couldn't anymore.

I just know that from the very first punch I threw at him, it didn't feel like iron. [5]

We both dropped to the ground at the same time.

I got on my back. I was out of breath.

"It's over." I needed to catch my breath. "We're going back together Robin!" I yelled.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

I looked at Robin. I was helping her fight. When she heard Luffy's cry, she started crying. I smiled at her.

Of course. Luffy will protect you.

Usopp continued shouting. "Hurry up and come here. If we don't get away, we won't survive!"

"Ok…" We waited for him to jump. "My body won't move at all!"

"Don't be silly!" Usopp yelled.

"Usopp, we can take the ship and get her to where Luffy is! Everyone!" I tried to be more understanding of the situation. Luffy was tired.

However, the ship we were about to board exploded.

"Shoot!" We're trapped on the bridge. Luffy's trapped over there.

"Luffy! Please stand up!" We were going to die here.

Look below.

"Who?" I asked out loud.

Usopp then yelled. "Jump into the ocean!"

This is crazy. "Usopp… " I started.

I'm here. Jump into the ocean!

I noticed Chopper started crying. "Did you look below?" I asked him.

He nodded.

Yuuto looked also. "I don't believe it. Let's go to the ocean!" If the only sane male in the crew says it too, there must be a reason.

"Robin. Drop Luffy into the ocean!" Usopp asked.

Strange, only my crew heard it.

We all jumped to the ocean and landed on the Merry.

I've come to take you home. The voice said.

I couldn't help but cry a little.

"Who steered her here?" I asked out loud.

"That's not important right now." Zoro yelled. "Give us orders. We need to get out of here now."

"We still have trouble." Yuuto said.

"Hey Robin! You saved me. Than-" I looked at Luffy. Robin shut his mouth.

We stayed quiet a bit, waiting for Robin to speak.

"Everyone. Thank you!" She said it sincerely.

I smiled at that. I was sure everyone did too. Even Zoro the grouch.

"Don't worry about it! Shishishi" Luffy smiled brightly at that.

"Talk nonsense after we get out of here!" Zoro ordered.

I heard Yuuto give a sigh and stopped Sanji and Chopper from attacking him. He continued. "Zoro's right. We need to leave as soon as possible. Let's celebrate afterward. Nami, what do you want us to do?"

I nodded and started ordering the my crew mates. "Yuuto hard to port! Sanji, take the helm!"

I will navigate Going Merry through the whirlpools. I looked at the current.

"Yuuto, go toward nine'o clock. Robin…." I stopped and saw Robin use her powers. I heard some cracking sound and saw the chief that took her held by her powers.

Nevermind. I'll let her have her revenge. "Usopp, cover us on the left with some smoke. There's a ship there." Usopp nodded and fired some smoke to cover us. I made some small cold clouds as well. "Franky. Get ready to use your coup de vent in about 30 seconds!"

"Got it!"

I waited until we had a clear path.

"Now!" I shouted.

I heard the marines yell, "The pirate ship jumped!"

We left the Enies Lobby with the gates of Justice closing behind us.

We won! [6]

* * *

Author's notes

[1] This chapter contains the awesome parts of Enies Lobby.

You have Robin accepting the Strawhats.

Monster Point

Diable Jambe

Asura

Luffy's win over Lucci

The emotions and the cool moves make this arc a personal favorite of mine because of the nice combination of both.

[2] Please leave a review what you guys thought about Yuuto and Kalifa.

I hoped it gave this chapter a slight breath of fresh air and some changes.

[3] I was originally going to write it that Yuuto saves Usopp from Blueno.

However, when I reread the manga, I felt to keep that interaction between Sanji and Usopp.

[4] This is just Sanji being a cheesy romantic. Nothing more.

[5] Luffy has officially unlocked armament Haki with this moment. He isn't aware of it. It will be made aware during Thriller Bark.

He needs to train how to use it consistently.

[6] I hope you guys don't consider Nami useless. She played a role in defeating Kalifa, stopping Chopper's monster point, and navigating.

I feel that Nami is focused as a jerk in most story lines, but that is just for comedy. She does have her sweet moments.

Next chapter, the gang's back at Water Seven!

Robin will be getting some less development once Thriller Bark officially starts. I wrote a lot of things in her POV for the last 10 chapters, and she was a central character in the last couple arcs.

Be ready for some Nami, Zoro, Chopper, and Brook character development next arc! The others will also have their time to shine but not as much. Yuuto's will be set up but his will be more prominent during Sabody. It makes sense concerning his background.

Luffy will get his development during Amazon Lily and Marineford so I will not write a lot in his POV for the time being. During that time, I will temporarily not write in just the Strawhats' POV (examples Boa Hancock, Mr. 2, Jinbei, Whitebeard, and Ace because of how important the plot revolved around them during those arcs)

I think I might jump parts of Impel Down. From what I outlined the story, it's the same. No new development.

Thriller Bark will be a challenge.

Please leave a review of what you guys liked in this version of Enies Lobby. I hope that it kept you guys entertained and that you guys liked some of the emotions behind the story. It really did make me appreciate this arc even more while rewriting it.


	23. Chapter 23 Back at Water Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Chapter 929 that isn't out yet as of this post.

Thanks for the reviews! The last chapter got the most reviews I've ever had in one chapter. I also noticed that people who have been following for a while reviewed for the first time. That is really encouraging! Something I really appreciate. Special thanks to you two! I really appreciate the feedback. It actually does serve as motivation to me to write my story better and faster. Hence, this update came a lot faster than expected.

(It's also Christmas vacation so I have mandatory free time.)

Happy Holidays!

I'll keep the parts that you guys liked in mind as I progress with the story.

I'm guessing that means some more romantic or friendship moments between the characters. Prepare for that in the distant future.

In this chapter, there are at the very least friendship moments between characters. You can judge some of them to be romantic if you wish.

Leave a review if you want to be more specific about whether you actually want romance or friendship. I do have some of those moments planned out.

Onward to the story.

* * *

Back at Water Seven

 **Zoro POV**

Because we helped Iceburg, Iceburg lent a nice suite for all of us stay in. Everyone in the crew was asleep except me. I had been sitting outside at the dining room that we were all staying in. I had been awake for at least an hour when all of us were supposed to be asleep.

I was still awake because I lost Yubashiri. I cursed myself losing that sword because of my carelessness. I felt vulnerable, and I hated this feeling. Losing that sword felt that I was losing a part of myself.

I was startled. I heard some footsteps; someone was awake. I didn't want anyone to know how angry I was about losing my sword. I turned and saw the women's bedroom door opened. Out came Robin. Why was she up?

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked. I didn't want her to ask why I was still up.

She looked at me, was about to say something, and paused for a moment. She seemed to have changed her mind and decided to say something else, "Just making sure it wasn't a dream."

I looked at her both confused and worried. "About what?" Was she having nightmares because of her past? It really made me angry how the government could do that to her.

To go through all of that showed how strong she really was.

She looked and smiled at me before she responded. "That I have nakama."

"Oh." I let out and felt a little relief. Her past made her seem like she never had anyone to trust in before joining the crew. To be honest, I used to feel like that before I joined this crew. I found people to trust here.

I looked at her more closely. Was she being more open to us? "That's not all you have." I added. She didn't have people she could trust before. She was about to be confused before I carefully elaborated "You have nakama who trust you now." I smiled at her to reassure her.

She stared at me and nodded. She then pulled the chair across from me. "You're right. What about you Mr. Swordsman? Why aren't you sleeping?"

I wasn't planning telling her anything. It was probably my male ego. However, if I didn't tell her, I felt that I wasn't showing that I trusted her. Trust is very fragile and she was honest with me about what she said.

I sighed. I confessed. "I lost one of my swords today. A devil fruit user turned it to rust." I laid it down on the table to show it.

There was a look of guilt on her face. "Oh. Mr. Swordsman, I - "

I interrupted her. "Robin, call me Zoro. We're nakama remember." I paused a moment. "I'm not going to call you by any other name like woman anymore." I looked at her. Calling each other by our first name should show that we are becoming closer. "You should also do that with the rest of the crew." I suggested.

"Sorry…" she paused. "Zoro." She said the last part as if it was foreign to say my first name. I nodded. It will take some time to get used to hearing her call me by name. I did smile though; it sounded a lot better than her calling me 'Mr. Swordsman.' "If you didn't have to come rescue me, you would have kept your sword." She apologized.

I put one of my fists down, a little angry at that. "Your situation has nothing to do with my sword being destroyed. It was because of my carelessness. Besides, you're safe. That's more important than one of my swords." After saying that, I blushed a little realizing how that sounded, and immediately looked away from her.

I blame my lack of sleep for sounding like that. I couldn't think of words on how to actually rephrase that.

As I looked away, I considered what I said. I realized I would then gladly give up one of my swords to protect my nakama.

I decided to keep what I said even though it was a little embarrassing.

The more I thought about that, the more it made sense. The World's Greatest Swordsman should be able to use every sword into a dangerous weapon by itself. The World's Greatest Swordsman should also be able to protect his crew. If he couldn't protect his crew, he was too weak to become the World's Greatest Swordsman.

After considering my thoughts, I noticed that Robin stayed quiet for a while. She was probably about to make fun of me. "Thanks." I looked at her when she said that. She had said that without looking at me. I felt relieved. I wasn't being made fun of. After a while, she turned to face me and we made eye contact for a bit. "I can help you buy a new sword." She offered to break the silence we had.

I shook my head. "You don't have to do that." I didn't want her pity or generosity. "I can get a new sword by myself tomorrow. It's shouldn't be a problem for the World's future Greatest Swordsman." She nodded at that. I felt better. Talking to her put things in perspective. My nakama or a tool to help my dream no question what to choose. Nakama every time.

"I'm going to sleep now. Good night Robin." I stood up. I was ready to go to sleep knowing that one of my nakama was safe. That comforted me more than me moping around about my sword.

"Good night Zoro. I'll go back to sleep too. Thanks for the chat." She also stood up. We both walked to our rooms ready to go to sleep. It seemed that our conversation helped both of us go to sleep. [1]

* * *

Next morning

 **Chopper POV**

I woke up and saw Yuuto waiting for me by my bed.

"Yuuto, is everything ok?" I was worried. He nodded.

"I just wanted to talk about what you did yesterday." He admitted. I looked confused. "About that giant side of you."

I immediately became scared. Did I hurt him? "Yuuto, did I hurt you?"

Yuuto looked at me and laughed. "No you didn't. You may have hit me, but I blocked it. Anyways, it seems that you can't control it. In fact, I couldn't sense what you were going to do. I could only sense your presence."

I was a little scared. "Yuuto, does anyone else know?" I slightly ignored his question.

Yuuto closed his eyes. "Just me, Nami, and Franky. They're both fine. You didn't even touch them. Nami was worried about you. You were wheezing and becoming weaker."

I breathed out knowing that I didn't hurt Nami or our friend Franky. "Sorry. I made a promise to Doctorine not to do that again but I had to. My opponent was too strong. I wanted to save Robin." I hoped he understood.

Yuuto looked at me and nodded. "I understand. This crew would do anything to protect each other." He gave it some more thought. "Perhaps, you should meditate with me and Zoro sometime." I looked at him confused. "It seems that monster side takes over you and I would think you need to have mental strength to take him on or be in control." I looked at him. He elaborated. "If it had a presence but no will, there might not even be a monster personality." I nodded at that.

"Are you referring to when you used Observation Haki?"

"Yes. I couldn't tell what you were going to do. That's how Observation Haki works in one sense. I can normally tell what you are going to do as long as you know what you are going to do. However, I just noticed your presence in that form." I see. This was kind of interesting.

Apparently, when I turned to that monster form, I was probably relying on my primal instincts. No thought in that form.

I shook my head no. I was scared of going in that form. "What if I permanently become a monster? After I transformed yesterday, the next thing I remember was that I woke up and saw Robin saved. I didn't think about whether you guys were safe." I was scared of confronting that side of me.

Yuuto looked at me. "I'm sure it's not irreversible. Besides, I know for sure we can all stop you. Me and Nami did. We can teach how to the others."

"But…."

He sighed. "Nami doesn't want you to use that form because she's worried about you getting hurt." I looked down guiltily. I made another of my nakama worry about me instead of worrying about Robin. "To me, that form is like the restriction we give to Luffy about Gear 2 and Gear 3. It should only be used to protect the crew."

We had some silence between us. "Just think about it. I'm sure we can help you be in control. I can only imagine what will happen when you confront that other side of you." Yuuto said.

I nodded. It was a lot to think about. I noticed that during this entire time Yuuto didn't mention that I became a monster. "Thanks Yuuto." I appreciated that. He looked at me confused. I elaborated "For not calling me a monster."

He smiled. "You're not a monster. You're nakama. Besides, that form isn't considered a monster in the New World. There are some serious monsters there."

I became a little worried. "Like what?" He said that we would probably reach the New World in about 3 weeks.

He grew a little serious. "Not what. Who." He turned away and left. What did he mean by that?

* * *

That afternoon

 **Robin POV**

I made my way back to Nami. I had gotten separated from Nami while we were shopping for new clothes.

When I caught up with Nami, she immediately asked. "Robin. Where were you? I was worried."

"I went back to the store to pick up my wallet. I left it there." I lied to Nami. I didn't want to lie to Nami, but I did make a promise to someone.

She accepted it. "Next time, tell me. I don't want something like what happened a couple days ago to happen all over again." She pouted.

"Sorry, Nami." I apologized. I looked at her who immediately smiled when she heard me say her name.

"It's not a problem Robin. I'm happy that you're safe and you're calling us by our names now." She exclaimed. I nodded at that. She yelled happily when I called her by her name earlier today. She boasted to the rest of the crew that she was the first one to get that privilege.

I stole a look toward Zoro who was taking a nap. I wanted to see if he would mention that he was the first, but I guess he was still tired from our conversation. After that, I then looked at everyone else's who expected the same thing. I chuckled at Sanji's response when I called him by his name.

As we continued walked, we were about to pass a children clothes store. We both stopped a bit to let a kid run in while his parents followed in. I let out a laugh, thinking about the real reason I separated from Nami.

Nami looked at me. "What's so funny?"

"I just had a funny thought." I began a half lie. "I thought of Zoro taking care of kids." I smiled at her. I was still keeping a promise to Zoro. I wasn't going to tell anyone that it actually happened five minutes ago. [2]

Nami also laughed at that. "That is a funny thought. If Zoro took care of kids, they would get lost all the time. They would all be alcoholics before the age of 10. He'd do a terrible job."

I felt the need to defend him. "Actually, I'd think he'd do a great job." She looked at me. "I admit he'd get lost. However, he'd definitely be able to protect them and watch over them. He takes care of Chopper the most out of all of us."

She gave it some more thought. She looked at me and considered. "I guess that's true. He is dependable like that." She looked like she was about to add something but didn't. We continued walking. A couple moments later, she added. "Who else in our crew do you think would make a good father or husband?" Was that was on her mind?

I stared at her more carefully. It seemed that she wanted to talk about some of the guys in our crew. Was this girl talk? I never had this opportunity before.

"Well..." I started. "As of now, I think Luffy, Zoro, and Yuuto would make great fathers and husbands." I gave it some more thought. "Sanji would make a good father but I'm not sure about husband. He'd be thinking about some other girl." Nami laughed at that. "Usopp I'm not so sure about. Chopper..." I paused. It felt awkward to talk about Chopper.

Nami continued. "Yeah. That would be weird to talk about Chopper. Let's not include him in the conversation." I agreed with that. She hesitated and continued. "I thought the same. Usopp's a good friend but he's not exactly the ideal father/husband type. I actually am surprised you would say that about Luffy…. Why?" She tried to sound nonchalant.

"You're surprised that Luffy wouldn't make a good father or a good husband?" I was slightly confused which part she meant.

"Both." She said a little quietly. She acted a little shy about it. Did she have a crush on Luffy?

I answered her. "He's loyal and dependable. Those are good traits in a husband. As a father, I feel that he would be the type to stick around for the kid to play with him at least." I watched her reactions.

"I see." She nodded. Her cheeks were blushing a little.

"Do you have a crush on our captain?" I smirked a little bit.

"No. No. I don't. How could anyone have a crush on that idiot? He always gets us in trouble." She denied. She turned red.

"Yet, we're still following him." I answered. I looked at her. "He's got a certain charm around him." I saw her nod at that. "I was talking about charismatic charm. What type of charm were you thinking about?" I slightly teased.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just the same type of charm you were thinking about." She admitted weakly. I had thought about the interactions they had since I joined the crew. I felt a little guilty embarrassing her.

"Nami. It's fine." I tried to comfort her. "You're lucky that you can have a crush and maybe be in a relationship." She looked at me confused. "Remember, I've been on the run for the last 20 years. I don't have time to be in a relationship. My 'boyfriend' " I said a little sarcastically. "would probably try and send me to the marines where I'd be trapped with them for the rest of my life." Nami looked at me both a little scared and sad.

I never had the thought of actually pursuing a serious relationship with other people. I've kissed men before but they were all just part of my assassination missions. The relationships I had were just kisses but never became too intimate.

"But Robin." She started. "That's before you had us. Now that you have us, you can actually pursue one."

I looked at her. I didn't see a connection. "Really? I don't think that just because I have nakama now doesn't mean I can pursue a relationship."

"That's not what I meant. How about you take it slow? Build a friendship with us first. Who knows? Maybe you'll pursue a relationship with someone in the crew." I was surprised at how wise that sounded. Maybe she heard that from someone else.

I paused at that. I couldn't help but tease. "Sure. I'll try that with Luffy?" I asked. She looked a little annoyed at me for suggesting that. I quickly added. "I'm kidding. I just wanted to make sure that you actually did like him."

She gave a sigh and looked around to see if anyone was there. She then went to my face and whispered. "Fine, I like him." I smiled at that. They did look good together. She then took a step back and slightly shouted. "This isn't about me. It's about you!"

I kind of wanted to laugh about that. She was kind of acting like Luffy. However, she continued. "Well, there's other guys right. For example. Yuuto's the reason why you stayed on the ship." I looked at her curiously. "That must mean something right?"

Did I remember wrong? "We made a deal remember. The terms were that I would stay on the ship to help Luffy become Pirate King and you guys would help protect me from the government. But after what just happened, we canceled that deal. But I still plan on helping Luffy become Pirate King because I'm his nakama not a business partner." I reminded her.

She paused realizing that I was right. "Ok yes. You are right. But he also changed his opinion of you. He got two keys by himself to free you." She added.

I had heard about that. Yesterday, Sanji mentioned to me that although Zoro's key unlocked my chains, his key would be the key to my heart. Yuuto then facepalmed while Nami whacked Sanji and said don't think about it. "Yeah. But everyone else got keys for me. None of their keys freed me other than Zoro's. Not that I don't appreciate their effort." I added.

"Still. He definitely changed his opinion of you." She then continued walking.

I wondered. I felt that he wasn't the only one.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

As Robin caught up to me, she told me. "Everyone, including you, changed their opinion of me. So Yuuto's not the only one."

I inwardly groaned. I was going to drop the subject and then I saw Chopper.

"Nami! Robin!" He ran up to us. He quickly gave Robin a quick hug which Robin reciprocated. I smiled at that. Robin would make a good mother one day too seeing the way she treats Chopper and all the guys in the crew.

"Hi Chopper! What brings you here?" She asked.

"I was looking to restock on some medical supplies and I bumped into you guys What about you guys? What were you doing?"

"We were just shopping for clothes right Nami? We were just about done." She said. I nodded. It would be awkward to talk about what we were talking about in front of Chopper. It was good to know that she knew our conversation was meant to between girls. Her life didn't seem to have girl talk.

"Oh. Do you guys want to join me then?" He asked.

"Sure." Robin replied.

"Actually, I'm going to go back to where we are staying. I could rest a little. I'll carry your clothes back Robin." I offered. I was feeling a little tired. She nodded, appreciating the gesture. She then passed some of her bags to me.

"I'll hold onto this. Otherwise, it would be too much for you."

I nodded and said good-bye to both of them. I walked away.

Originally earlier, I wanted to mention to her that I thought she would make a good mother after she mentioned Zoro. However, after hearing her past and about her mother Olvia, I didn't think she would want to hear that because that would bring up memories. Her past was similar to my past; I guess that's why we got along so well.

Hearing her mother leave her at a young age was kind of cruel. I was impressed at Robin's strength and desire to follow in her mother's footsteps. Robin said that her mother was working to have a good future for her.

Her life had been cruel, and I was happy that she finally had people like us to help and look after her. She deserved better. Especially when she kind of encouraged me and gave me a look that said I should confess to Luffy. I felt that I had to do the same for her and hope she could find someone.

I believed that falling in love with someone can help her heart. She wasn't the only one who needed to be fixed. Yuuto needed some help. He hadn't forgiven himself for whatever he did for the World Nobles. I suggested Yuuto because Yuuto also gave me a similar conversation back at Alabasta.

He turned out to be right. It was just that I wouldn't act on those feelings because Luffy probably wouldn't ever like me the same way.

I wanted to drop the subject but didn't want to admit that I was wrong. What if what I said went wrong? When I said Yuuto, I regretted it because I remember the last time I did that. It didn't work out so well between Yuuto and Vivi. Yuuto asked me to consider his feelings. I wasn't doing that. Nor was I considering Robin's feelings. I sighed. I would apologize to Robin later.

Was I trying to help Robin be comfortable with the crew? I guess that's why I told her that I had a crush on Luffy. I wanted to tell her a secret to show some trust between us.

As I entered the house we were staying at, I wondered why I was so busy helping other people with their love lives?

I then looked at Luffy who was somehow asleep and eating at the same time.

Right. I gave a sigh. Mine was a lost cause. He was clueless and there was no way he'd fall in love with me.

* * *

Next day

 **Nami POV**

Franky had just updated us on the ship that he was working on. We were all gathered together except Zoro and Yuuto. Luffy was still asleep.

Suddenly, the door broke.

An old man stood. "You are the Strawhat's crew aren't you?" Yuuto, who was in a slight disguise, and a couple marines were behind him.

"Yuuto?" I asked. Why would he lead a bunch of marines to us? He looked worried. The rest of us got ready for a fight.

He shouted. "Guys! It's Luffy's grandpa!"

Only me, Sanji and Chopper were shocked but quickly nodded, remembering what we should do. Everyone else didn't know. We told Chopper but we didn't tell Robin or the others. Yuuto had prepared us just in case we met Luffy's grandpa.

We immediately bowed. The three of us said. "It's an honor to meet you Garp sir!" We knew that we didn't stand a chance against him. Maybe if we treated him with respect, he would leave. Robin and Franky gasped in shock at that revelation.

Garp looked at Yuuto. "Here, I thought that you were lying to me when you said Luffy told his crew about me." Luffy didn't tell us; we found out. Still, no one was going to correct him. He looked at Luffy. "But that brat is still sleeping. Let me wake him up."

We all knew better not to defend Luffy. It was intimidating to meet Luffy's grandpa Garp right now. He was scary. Throwing cannonballs with his hands.

Garp then immediately ran to Luffy and punched him. Luffy screamed in pain. "Ouch!"

Robin and Franky looked in shock. Franky spoke, "That punch shouldn't hurt. You're made of rubber." I thank that Yuuto explained that it was armament Haki. I was about to explain, but Garp beat me to it.

Garp laughed. "There's no way anyone can escape a fist of love. I heard you've been doing reckless things Luffy." I sighed. I'll explain it to the real reason later.

Luffy yelled. "Grandpa!" I looked at this interaction. It didn't seem that Luffy liked his Grandpa very much. Still, I felt that I had to make a good impression to his Grandpa.

Robin looked at him. "He's really his grandpa." I nodded.

"We found out before a couple days before we went to Whiskey Peak. I remember we told Chopper. I guess we forgot to tell you." I admitted. I guess we forgot or didn't trust Robin back then. She seemed ok with it.

"Guys! Be careful. My grandpa has almost killed me many occasions in the past." Luffy warned. Yuuto sighed at that.

"Hey don't say such a scandalous thing." I nodded agreeing with Garp. Luffy's probably exaggerating. "I pushed you over bottomless cliffs, tied you on a balloon sent you flying, and threw you into the jungle at night… " I started sweatdropping. Luffy wasn't lying. Actually that makes sense why my captain is like this. "All of that was done so you could become a strong marine!"

With the logic Garp had, no wonder Luffy wanted to become a pirate.

"I now understand why Luffy's so strong now." Sanji said. Yuuto nodded at that.

Luffy yelled. "I always said I wanted to be a pirate!"

"Nonsense! You're just under the bad influence of that Red Hair."

"Don't badmouth Shanks! He saved my life!"

Garp grabbed Luffy. "Don't tell your grandpa what to do!" He yelled with his fist out.

"Ahh! I'm sorry." Luffy tried to apologize.

Yuuto just sighed. "I'm not surprised that he doesn't even try to fight." He had walked over to us.

"A marine just captured Luffy!" Chopper yelled worried. I was scared worried about the beat down Garp had in mind for Luffy.

Both of the Monkeys fell asleep at the same time.

All of us including the marines had their eyes out.

"They fell asleep!" We all shouted.

That seemed to wake Garp up. He looked at Luffy. He growled and punched him.

I winced looking at that. "Wake up Luffy! How can you fall asleep when I am in the middle of yelling at you." He punched him again. "How dare you speak like that to your own grandpa?" He punched again and I heard Luffy's scream.

I sighed. This was probably normal. It was similar to what happened in our crew too.

Only my captain Luffy could cause this trouble.

Garp started explaining about the Yonko.

Robin whispered to me. "Luffy has a connection to the Red Hair?"

I nodded. "He's been taking care of his hat." I whispered back.

She nodded. "When Garp mentioned fist of love," I froze a little bit. She was about to tease me again. "I thought how you were always able to hurt him without seastone or Haki during the training. Was that also a fist or stick of love?" I blushed and slightly shook my head. I needed to get over this crush.

I heard a cry from the marines saying that Zoro was here. Garp smiled and ordered other two marines to stop him. Two marines saluted and tried to attack both Zoro and Luffy. They soon lost.

The pink haired marine bowed down before them. "Luffy-san, Zoro-san. Long time no see! Do you remember me?"

Luffy and Zoro looked confused. He continued. "It's me. Coby!" I was surprised. I didn't know who this Coby was and I've been on the crew the longest other than those two. Luffy and Zoro looked shocked.

Garp then pointed at the wall. "Guys. Go fix up this wall."

One marine argued. "Why did you break it in the first place if we'll end up having to fix it?"

"Because it's cool to enter the scene like that!" I smiled at that. That sounded something like Luffy would do.

"Don't break things for such a ridiculous reason then! We'll fix it but you'd better help us." Another marine yelled.

Soon enough, I saw Garp helping fix the wall. Franky had left to continue working on the ship. All of the Strawhats were here.

"By the way Luffy, I heard you met your dad."

"Eh Dad. What do you mean dad?" I looked at him. He didn't know what a dad was? He was going to be hopeless.

"Oh, He didn't introduce himself. I heard he saw you off at Logue Town!" All of us looked confused at that.

"What is my dad like?"

"I wonder what Luffy's father is like..." I said out loud. I was also curious.

He stopped hammering. "Your father's name is Monkey D. Dragon, the revolutionary."

All of us paused. We all yelled that I'm sure the house shook.

Yuuto looked the most surprised out of all of us. He let out. "That's why he saved us back then." He mentioned that part before.

Luffy was still confused. "Why are you all panicking?" Yuuto facepalmed at that. It was good that all of us read the news if he didn't.

"Your father is a really dangerous man." I said. To actively wage war against the Government was crazy. Then again, we just did the same thing for a friend.

"Ack. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything." Garp said. More pandemonium ensued.

As if we could keep that quiet.

Time break.

"You're my grandson. That's why I won't capture you here on this island." I let out a breath of relief. It all worked for the best. "That's how I'll give my report to the marines, so don't worry and stay here as long as you like."

He was like Luffy.

A marine nearby said, "That's not an excuse at all. Let's say, 'they got away.'"

"That's a good idea. Glad I thought of it." Garp said. The marine sighed. "I'm leaving now." Luffy waved bye, happy at him leaving.

Garp punched Luffy. "That's way too dull! Be a bit more reluctant idiot! You haven't seen me for a while."

"What do you want me to do? All you've done is hit me!" Luffy countered.

"Even then, I still want to be loved by my grandson!" he yelled. I sighed understanding that.

"Their selfishness makes me understand how they're blood related." I paused. "Hey Garp!" I yelled. I couldn't believe what I was about to do.

"Hm." Everyone looked at me.

"You should stay and eat dinner with us." Everyone except Robin looked at me surprised. Luffy was already shaking his head no. "Maybe, tell us more about the Grand Line and give us some other advice." I lied smoothly. I was really trying to see if he could give me some advice about Luffy.

Yuuto looked at me quickly and nodded. "He could. But what makes you think a marine veteran would help a pirate?"

Garp laughed at that. "He's right. Why do you think I would help you guys?"

"Because Luffy's your family. You love your family more than being a marine right." I boldly claimed. He looked at me for a while. He then smiled. [3]

He then slapped Luffy on his back side. He then whispered something to Luffy which caused Luffy to look confused at him. Garp then looked at me "Sorry..." He wanted to know my name.

I gulped. "Nami." I answered truthfully. Was this a good first impression? What did he whisper?

"Sorry. Miss Nami. Duty is more important than family. It would be ridiculous to eat with you pirates and even crazier to help criminals." A lot of the marines started coughing very loudly after that statement. He blushed at them while also giving them a death stare. "I will be leaving now. I'll be sure to catch you guys in the New World and put you in jail." He started walking away and laughed at that.

After a couple steps, he stopped. "Luffy. You have a crew that takes good care of you. Take care of them also." I smiled. I was right all along. For some strange reason, I knew that he was lying about duty and family. He waved bye to me and to Yuuto especially.

I looked at Yuuto. He responded. "I told him about how the crew takes care of Luffy." That makes sense. Yuuto did have very strong family values and he thought that would be important to tell Garp.

* * *

Later that day

Water Seven Party

 **Robin POV**

We decided to have a party since Luffy was awake. Sanji and Yuuto were busy preparing the meals for it. Because of the atmosphere, they decided to have a barbecue.

As the party started, Sanji and Yuuto prepared 300 pounds of meat. Yuuto had been busy cooking the vegetables and some meat while Sanji was busy marinating and grilling the meat.

As I had a piece, Sanji asked me with hearts in his eyes. "How is it Robin-chan? Does it taste great?"

"It's delicious." It was delicious but I wasn't a big meat person like Luffy was.

Yuuto looked over and just laughed. Sanji soon continued grilling. Yuuto had finished cooking the vegetables. As soon as Sanji wasn't looking, he came over.

He took out some pieces of bread and sliced a piece of meat on my plate thinly. He finished making the sandwich. I looked at him surprised.

"Sanji and I both know your favorite food is a sandwich. We know everyone on the crew's favorite. I figured this would be better because we are having a party for you."

"Thanks. Yuuto." I took his offer and appreciated the gesture. That was considerate. I took a bite and smiled immediately. Yuuto was right. "It's better this way."

Yuuto then beamed back and went back to where Sanji was.

More people started arriving. I looked at the festivities and made my way toward the edge. I wasn't used to this.

"Listen as I speak… Nico Robin." I froze. That was Aokiji.

"Why didn't you just run away like you always did? I'm sure you could run away from the CP9 if it were only you."

"I told you that it's different from before. I couldn't leave them stranded." He didn't know how much I changed.

"The giant who fought for Ohara 20 years ago was my friend Jaguar D. Saul." I nodded remembering Saul. "It's my duty to observe what you do with your life because I respected his will and let you get away from the island." He paused. "I decided that I could no longer leave you wander around. Most of all, I thought you wanted to die." That was true. I did. "I intended to put everything about Ohara to an end this time."

That was my last chance. I am happy that it came at the right time.

"I never expected that CP9 would fall. Did you finally find a place to harbor yourself?" I nodded yes. At that moment, Yuuto made eye contact with me and widened his eyes. He motioned something to Zoro and started running over. He must have sensed Aokiji.

"Yes."

"Whether or not Saul's decision to let you live was correct, are you going to show me the answer?" He asked.

"I intend to." I couldn't let the people who fought for me to live down. Mom, Saul, the Strawhats.

"Then live life to the fullest. Ohara hasn't fallen yet." Yuuto then made it to me. We both went behind the wall, looked, and saw he disappeared. The only trace that he was here was the frozen ice.

"Are you ok?" He asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Aokiji just wanted to talk." I admitted.

"About?" He questioned. At that moment, Zoro and Sanji also came running by. Were they also worried? "It's fine guys. Aokiji just left." They looked alarmed.

I looked at them. "He wanted to know if I found a home."

They all looked at me. Yuuto asked "Did you?" which Zoro and Sanji nodded.

I smiled at them. "Yeah." They held a serious look for a moment but soon smiled back at me. We made our way together back in.

I looked back at them and thought about what Nami said the other day. Maybe I should develop a friendship first.

I then joined the festivities for the first time as a true Straw Hat.

* * *

Three days later

 **Franky POV**

I was about to be ready to show my ship to the Strawhats. I was thankful for Iceburg and all of Galley-la's help. The entire company helped us build with me and Iceburg overseeing everything.

It felt good to have both me and Iceburg work on a ship together for old time's sake.

Yuuto was already here checking the ship. "Wow. This ship is like 3 times the size of the Going Merry. How many rooms it's got?"

"It has 6 bedrooms. Each room can set up four bunkbeds or a queen size bed. I changed the master bedroom to bunkbeds. I'm sorry. I thought Luffy and Nami were dating and would want to…." I confessed. It was a good thing Yuuto double checked with me beforehand. It would have been awkward to have had a separate master bedroom for those two, and I announced it for those two.

I was sure that I was going to get pummeled by Nami and Sanji if that did happen.

I looked at Yuuto. Was something going on between him and Robin as well? I saw him go after Robin during the party.

"It's fine. I did like the idea." He said. I raised my eyebrows at that. Did he have someone in mind? "Did you install speakers throughout the ship?" He continued as we saw the rest of the Strawhats except Usopp come over. I heard the gasps from the crew; I smiled.

"Yes. I made sure there's a microphone in the kitchen and the lookout especially."

He yelled. "Luffy did you hear that, our new ship has speakers so you can know when there's food ."

Luffy yelled excitedly while the rest of the crew laughed.

"The dining room also can be used as a meeting room. It's got a projector for you to go over your notes." I continued. The rest of the crew heard that.

"Right. And Luffy will probably ignore me while eating but still that is useful." He nodded. The rest of the crew laughed. He thought some more. "What other rooms you got?"

"The lookout can also serve as an observatory/ workout area." Zoro smirked at that. "There's a library already with the books you guys already have. Iceburg also updated your library." Robin smiled. "There's three workshops for Usopp." Yuuto gave me a look that sounded excessive. Trust me, inventors and craftsmen need lots of rooms. "There's a workout area inside the ship as well."

"Where can I put my mikan trees?" Nami asked.

"Oh. That can be placed toward the end of the ship on the deck. There's also room to grow other things as well. Maybe a garden there to. Also Nami sis, there's a vault on the ship for you." Her eyes turned to beris.

Yuuto nodded. "That garden would be good for me and Sanji for us to grow our own food." Sanji nodded appreciating that. Yuuto mentioned that sometimes it would be nice to grow their own food,

"There's also an aquarium close to the kitchen ready for you guys to cook. You can fish from the deck and put them in there."

"That'd be fast and efficient." Sanji yelled. He didn't have to go out of the kitchen and tell the crew.

Hm. He thought. "Any other rooms? Because otherwise, I have to ask about the defense mechanisms."

"It's got a medical bay ready to treat 2 people at the same time. Go ahead check out the rooms." I was ready. Chopper glowed and started running. The rest of the crew followed.

"So you already installed inflatable rubber ballons along the edges of the keel?" He asked.

What did he take me for? An idiot. "Of course I did. I also got the bottom of the keel as well. That way it can bounce on the water. It also got slight wings if needed for a Coup de Burst. Those slight wings can also function as paddles if the paddle engine doesn't work. Robin's abillity will be useful if that happens. Make sure you and Sanji learn how to make cola."

"You and your cola obsession." He made a snide comment at that.

"It's the best drink of the world Yuuto bro." Word about Cola needs to be spread throughout the whole world.

"How about cannons, torpedoes, harpoons, nets, and the rope feature?" He asked. That was for offense.

"They're there. The torpedoes will come out from the side. The ropes by the deck will be good to try and grab anyone who's drowning nearby. The harpoons are good to pierce through wood ships to sink them or for fishing. Same with the nets. There's a bunch of cannons for your sniper to test out. Is he coming?"

Yuuto sighed. "He isn't here yet. He'll come. When he comes, we'll show the surprise." I nodded at that.

"Oh. Speaking of surprises, I have one myself. Because Nami controls the weather, I made it so that the ship can also create fog, clouds, and mirages. It's too much work to make it cause thunder or hail right now." I smiled at myself. I've outdone myself.

"Franky. You are a Super genius." He said with his mouth open.

"Tell me something I don't know." I was trying to act humble.

"Well then, I think the ship is complete. It's just missing one thing." Yuuto continued.

"What's that?" I asked. I was sure I followed my blueprints and Yuuto's designs. We covered almost everything.

"We need a shipwright." Yuuto asked. "I don't think we could have anyone better than you."

"Franky!" I heard something on the deck.

"Franky! Join us! Be our nakama!" Luffy yelled. Everyone else was there also motioning me to come over.

"What!" I can't do that. I have too many things to take care of. "First, I quit being a shipwright already. That was going to be the last ship I'd ever make. That is my dream ship."

"Wait Franky! This ship hasn't become your dream ship." I turned and saw Iceburg. Yuuto also looked intently. "Remember. You also need to go on this dream ship to carry on until the end."

"I changed my mind on what I want to do." I refused.

"What you want to do? No, that's not right. What you are doing on this island right now is all just atonement." Yuuto looked more intently at that. "You are still regretting that Tom was taken away on that day. But Tom already forgave you on that day and directed to the new road." What was Iceburg talking about?

"You brought those punks in the backstreet together. You called yourself a bounty hunter and protected this island from looters. Everything was done to protect this city that Tom loved." I started crying.

I will admit that I was crying this time. The last time I admit that I actually cried was when I reunited with Iceburg four years ago.

All the other times, I had water coming out of my eyes for no reason. I had some really bad allergies the last couple days.

Iceburg knew me too well. "Though probably no one looked at it that way. You quit shipbuilding and subdued your will to live. Is that what you're going to do forever? Even if Tom and I forgive you, nothing will probably change." I was trying to stop crying.

"Why don't you forgive yourself Franky? You can live your own dream right?" I looked at Kokoro, Yokozuna (the frog), and my own Family.

A bag was thrown close to me. "This bag is for your journey!" I saw my lieutenant Zambai.

"Please forgive us for everything. We're really sorry. We're ready to accept any punishment. We're idiots so we used our brains to the fullest and thought of this."

I was angry. "How can you think to butt in my life? I decide everything on my own. How can I a boss walk the path that my men prepared? That's shameful!" I shouted.

Zambei continued. "We're sorry. But can't we think about someone who adopted us racketeers. Can't we think about your happiness."

I cried like a baby. Not that I would admit that to anyone.

"My back! My back! Yuuto how could you hurt my back." I cried. Yuuto looked, shrugged, and walked on the ship.

How dare you abandon a man in back pain Yuuto!

"Franky! We need to leave! I see marines coming to get us!" Nami yelled.

"Get on my ship Franky!" Luffy yelled.

I wiped away my tears. "Alright. You amateurs can only do such a poor job. I'd pity this ship if it didn't have a shipwright." I was going to fulfill my dream because what Iceburg said comforted me. "I'll take care of it. I, Franky, will be the shipwright for your ship."

I heard all of the ones on the ship cry out happily. I started walking forward toward the ship. If I looked back, I would cry again. I thought of everyone in this city.

"I'm gonna be away for a while! Take care of this great city!" I yelled. I got on the ship.

Luffy looked at Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto all of who were fighting who could drive the ship. "You guys, let Nami drive the ship. She's our navigator remember."

Nami squealed happily. "Yay! I get to play with the ship." The other men grumbled.

"Captain, can I help?" I offered, trying to get used to this. Luffy nodded. "Hey Nami sis. I told Yuuto this, but your ship can create those cloud balls like you can." I told her.

"A ship that also manipulates weather." She said happily. "That's perfect."

"Well just the easier stuff. I haven't figured out a way to do the harder stuff yet. Notice the slot by the wheel." She nodded. "Put your climatact in. The ship will produce bubbles from the slide because of the ones you put in."

"I'm going to have a hard time doing sailing and doing this. If only we had a helmsman." [4]

"No. The climatact will make the ship make the bubbles. You just have to take them out when you're done."

"Got it Franky. I'll get used to this."

"Hey Luffy! Can you hear me? This is your grandpa." We heard a microphone.

"Hey Grandpa." he tried yelling but it was futile.

I smirked. "Use this." The speaker on the lookout will help project our voice toward the sea if we need to talk to other ships.

"Hey Grandpa! I thought you weren't going to catch us."

"Yeah. Things happened. I'm sorry to say this but I'll have to ask you to just drown and die." He said that so calmly.

"Luffy! He's got a cannonball in his hand." Yuuto cried out. What's Garp gonna do? "Franky, how do we activate the inflatable sides?" He asked worriedly.

I was about to say we got nothing to worry about it. There was no way an old geezer like him could throw a cannonball close to us. Even if it did, it would move too slow and we could dodge. That was until I heard a cannonball throw close by. It went faster than the cannons we had.

I growled. My idiot captain's grandfather was going to damage my ship.

"Tell me that next time. It's the button by the wheel." I pointed.

"Got it!" Any cannonball that would hit the sides would be bounced back. Unfortunately, we couldn't attack from the sides while those were up.

"Full speed ahead!" Luffy cried out. We'll take care of any other cannonballs that flow too close by us.

"Aren't we missing someone?" I asked.

"He's here!" Chopper cried out! "You guys Usopp's here!" We all looked and saw Usopp.

"I don't see anyone." Zoro called out. Luffy nodded at that.

* * *

 **Usopp POV**

I was going to rejoin the crew, and everything was going to be just fine. I was going to blend in.

I had just ran to the side of the town. The ship looked nice. It looked like there were 3 of them.

Did Franky somehow make it so our new ship is able to use Nami's Mirage tempo? I looked at it.

Wow the sides of the keel have inflatable rubber. That's a cool defense system and it shows that it belongs to Luffy.

Weren't my crew going to pick me up now? I'm here now to join you guys.

I waited five minutes but they didn't move from their spot.

"Hey you guys! Did you give up on me because I disappeared." No response.

"Rejoice it's me! How's the weather today?" I pretended I didn't see them fighting Luffy's grandpa. One cannonball was split into two.

"I have good news for you guys! When I'm back I won't mind being vice captain." Silence. A cannonball bounced off of Luffy. "How does that sound?"

"Don't tell me. Is it about what I said that time? We've had lots of arguments but we are nakama. I'll let some stuff slide." I saw Sanji kick a cannonball away. Yuuto jumped and deflected the ball away from the ship with his gloves. They kept ignoring me.

"Say something! Cut it out you guys!"I literally see Zoro cut another cannonball into two as that happened. I sighed. That's not what I meant.

"Are you really gonna leave me?" I tried to act tough but that didn't work. "If that's how it is, let me say one last thing." I yelled the next part with whatever I had.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being stubborn! I was wrong!" I admitted. The Merry was gone and couldn't sail anymore. We burned the keel. It knew that it couldn't sail anymore, and I fought for a dying friend. "I know it's shameful and I know I said I left the crew. Can I take back what I said?" Being part of this crew was amazing and I wouldn't trade it for anything on the world.

Telling stories to Luffy and Chopper.

Making fun of Zoro's lack of directions.

Running away with Nami from the scary threats.

Eating Sanji's food.

Listening to Yuuto's ideas about inventions and his feedback about my ideas.

Hearing Robin's humor even though it's scary.

"Please make me your nakama one more time!" I shouted.

I heard a hand stretch. I looked and saw Luffy's arm.

"Idiot! Hurry up and grab my hand!" I heard on the speakers. Luffy was crying.

As I grabbed on and hit Luffy's head, I heard a couple things.

"Yay! Usopp's back!" Chopper cried out. I was happy to hear my number 1 fan.

"Welcome back Usopp. I'm happy you didn't get crushed by one of the cannonballs on your way here." There's that humor. Wait Robin said my name!

"Idiot!" Zoro cried out. [5]

"I'm not crying!" Franky said. I didn't know he was here. Then again, I agree that he belongs in this crew.

"Gah!" Sanji dropped to the floor.

"Haha. You guys look so lame." Nami called out.

Yuuto grabbed me off the floor. "Don't do that again." He whacked me in the head and gave me a quick hug to welcome me back.

"Finally everyone's together! Let's get away from this bombardment!" Luffy yelled.

* * *

 **Franky POV**

"Wait. Before we do that, we need to name the ship before we set sail!" They were going to be surprised by my super name.

"How about Polar Bear Lion!"

The entire crew looked at him "How can a ship have a name like that?"

"How about Tiger Wolf Lion?"

Just stop.

"Listen to this. Iceburg was about to call this ship, "Thousand Sunny." But I have a better name than that."

"Ooh. I like that name." Chopper cried out.

"It's better than my Lionel the boss." Zoro said.

"Better than my 'The Darkness.'" Robin said.

"Better than my 'Monsieur Sunflower.'" Sanji said.

"I didn't really have an idea of a name other than 'Yellow Lion' but that doesn't fit." Yuuto said. I glared at him. I am not naming a ship with the same naming system as you guys.

"That was just for starters. Behold the name of the ship is New Battle Franky Lion Gang Champion. "

"Let's go with Iceburg's name!" Luffy said. No. Not that stupid name.

"Nice to meet you Sunny!" New Battle Franky Lion Gang Champion. As Chopper greeted the ship.

"The Thousand Sunny is a good name." Sanji admitted. No New Battle Franky Lion Gang Champion is better.

"Agreed!" Nami and Usopp cried out. Bah. I'm sounded by idiots who don't know any better.

Just as I was about to say the name again, Zoro said, "Now that the name is decided, our trip is finished." I grumbled too tired to argue.

I walked over ready to activate Coup De Burst.

"This ship can do everything that your Going Merry did. This ship will inherit that ship's brave spirit." We then flew 1 km away.

The wings came up slightly to make it more aerodynamic and the rubber on the keel made the ship bounce like a rock skipping on water. It bounced 3 more times before coming to a stop.

"Speaking of your ship. Now that we're safe, there's one more thing that me and Yuuto would like to present to you."

Yuuto stood up and I let him speak. "I understand that we can't sail the Going Merry anymore." Everyone seemed sad at the memories. . "It.. sorry she... saved us." A lot of people kept quiet remembering the funeral we had for it. "We may have burned the ship but we kept the figure head for a reason. Franky."

I opened a dock. He continued. "I present to you, the Mini Merry II. It has the original figurehead from the ship, Franky made it smaller, but the rest of the ship is new." I jumped off the deck and landed perfectly.

It was a boat that was meant for shopping and as emergency reasons. It could fit 4 people comfortably and groceries. It didn't have any weapons on it.

He looked at Usopp who stared at it. Usopp went up to Yuuto and hugged him. Luffy, Nami, and Chopper was excited. Sanji and Zoro grinned at the sight.

"Thank you!"

"It's the least I can do. You should thank Franky the most. I came up with the idea of keeping something from the original ship. Franky did all the work."

Usopp raised his hand toward me.

"I'm here!" I heard a child's voice.

"Merry?" Usopp asked.

"Yes. Thank you for keeping me. This is a new body but I'll get used to it." Wait.

"Are you in danger?" I asked worried. A Kaubertemann would only appear if the ship was in danger.

"No. My spirit carried on to this vessel so I still remember what happened. I can't really move on my own yet. I need someone to sail me around then I think I'll be able to work on my own."

Luffy cried out. "Let's celebrate that we got a new nakama and old nakama Usopp, Merry, and Franky! Next stop Fishman Island!" [6]

* * *

AN:

[1] I have not written much in Zoro POV but this was meant to set up Thriller Bark and the 2 year time skip. Out of all the characters, I have written Zoro the least, so if I'm writing a Zoro POV, I need to make sure I do a good job with him in the limited amount of writing I have for him.

[2] The ide came from the anime.

[3] Marineford.

[4] A certain helmsman.

[5] Deep down, you can tell that Zoro wanted Usopp back just as much as they did.

[6] Merry is going to be a minor character with a limited role. But she is still part of the crew.

I'm not going to write the story in her POV.

Couple things to consider

Franky joining the crew became a lot easier for him because he was already a partner to them because of Yuuto's Underworld connection.

Let me also add that Franky kind of becomes Yuuto's best friend in the crew at this point because Franky knows of Yuuto's past. Yuuto is still really close to almost everyone on the crew.

Bounties are not revealed yet. They left early for it to be released. They will be revealed next chapter.

Also, if you have any suggestions for the Thousand Sunny to add let me know in the reviews. There is something that I didn't add to the Thousand Sunny that will play a role in the story later on.

I think I'm going to finish Thriller Bark in two chapters. What the Thousand Sunny is missing will be mentioned in three chapters.

Please leave a review of what you liked or disliked about any of the Strawhats' interaction. I really appreciated the reviews last time because they gave good detail about what you guys liked.

Happy Holidays again!


	24. Chapter 24 Florian Triangle

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Chapter 929.

Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Florian Triangle

Yuuto POV

It's been 2 days since we left Water Seven.

Sanji had taught me how to use Geppo, so I got rid of the milky dials in my feet. I asked Franky and Usopp to change the dials in my feet to flame and change the dials in my gloves to electricity. Kicking was better to control far range attacks. It gave me more control and more distance. Close range, I could now shock my enemies just in case.

Zoro had been meditating a lot more and training his physical strength with weights. It was hard for him to train on his sword techniques because of he was missing one sword. Chopper did join him for medication.

Nami was able to make hail now with her climatact. She also developed more bojutsu techniques. If only she could incorporate her control of the weather with those bojutsu techniques. The climatact she had needed to set up those weather techniques.

So far, Usopp and Franky upgraded Usopp's slingshot to be able to fire multiple bullets at the same time. They were always in the workshop doing who knows what. However, they admitted that they did not have the technology needed to upgrade Nami's staff to make it more effective.

Sanji started training to do some Observation Haki. I blindfolded him and whacked him whenever I could. Chopper also tried attacking him as strength training in his human point Chopper would practice transforming to different forms without the rumble ball.

Now that I could trust Robin without any reservation, I asked Robin if I could help teach her some grip techniques and some hold positions. This was my first time helping her. I also told her to try and imagine more with her powers. She mentioned that if her extra limbs got hurt, they would carry over to her real body. I suggested maybe she could unlock armament haki or armor to protect those limbs. She looked at me blankly at that. I also suggested that maybe her fruit could be used as a support. [1]

With Franky, he showed me some boxing techniques. I told him that maybe he should incorporate some throws. I also told him about Haki, but because of time, I suggested to see if he could upgrade his iron to seastone. Of course, the question came where we would get the seastone. I was stuck not sure how to teach armament Haki.

On lookout duty, I read the newspaper and saw our bounties. "Hey guys! We all got bounties!" I said on the look out and slid down the pole. I dropped it where Luffy was already waiting to see. I needed to tell them something because my bounty was a little different.

Straw-hat Luffy – 350 Million beris Dead or alive

"Wow 350 million!"

'Pirate Hunter' Zoro – 150 Million beris dead or alive

"Heh. Not bad." Zoro grinned at that.

Cat Burglar Nami – 30 Million beris dead or alive

"I got tricked. He told me he was for a magazine. Yuuto warned me not to get a picture." She cried. I looked at her amused.

Sogeking – 30 Million beris dead or alive

"I'm happy I got a bounty. But that's a mask. How will people know who it is?" Usopp asked worriedly. I sighed. Trust me Usopp that nose will tell people.

Black Leg Sanji – 80 Million beris dead or alive

"Who is this?" He asked. I agreed with that. His drawing did not look like him at all.

"Hey cook! That looks like you. I'm almost worth two of you." They then entered an argument but Sanji started moping.

Cotton Candy Chopper – 50 beris dead or alive [2]

"What! But… But… I fought… like a man…." He stammered and looked shocked.

Better to be underestimated than to be overestimated Chopper. But I understand. That is very disrespectful to him.

'Demon Child' Nico Robin – 90 Million beris dead or alive

"Oh dear. They updated my picture too."

'Cyborg' Franky – 50 Million beris dead or alive

"Super!"

"Hey Yuuto. Yours is special." Nami asked. She pointed it out.

Black 'Scheming' Fox – 100 Million alive only. It was the same picture.

"Why is yours alive only?" Chopper asked confused.

I sighed. Robin spoke up. "I remember Spandam mentioned that Black Fox gets special treatment in Impel Down? Is this that special treatment?" I looked at her.

Franky nodded and added "It's because you're a former Chaser right?" Franky asked. I considered that possibility. [3]

" What's a Chaser? I thought you were a bodyguard?" Luffy asked.

"Chaser's the actual name of my job position." I revealed.

"Well, I didn't think a normal bodyguard would know how to steal or plan so well.." Zoro said.

"Right. And kidnapping." Robin asked. I winced a little bit. That hurt a little bit but that was 5 years ago. She said it so plainly too. However, I looked at her and saw there was no resentment in that.

"You got anything else? Like what's next? You're royalty." Usopp said.

I sighed. "I've guess I got a lot to explain. I should have expected this."

" I guess the World Nobles want you back." Franky cut to the chase. "Listen, Chasers are people who work for both the World Nobles and the Underworld. They "chase" after stuff that they want. Could be diamonds, art, artifacts, weapons, and even people. They obtain them. Yuuto here is one of the best currently."

"How do you know about them Franky?" Sanji asked.

"Because Franky used to do business for the Underworld. That's how I heard of him remember?" I interjected.

Usopp looked deep in thought. "That thing you said before you met up with him? Was that a secret code showing you belong in the Underworld?" Usopp asked.

I nodded. Franky chuckled. "Yeah. I thought you guys already knew about this." He added.

"They didn't know I was called Chaser. They knew about the World Nobles and the Underworld." I saw a few nods from Nami, Sanji, and Usopp. Luffy and Chopper looked confused while Zoro and Robin remained silent.

"How do you know that Yuuto is a legit Chaser?" Nami asked.

"It's the mask."Franky explained. I tossed Franky the mask so he could show it to them. "Notice this downward spiral. That's the only mark that shows you're a Chaser."

"I don't understand. Why do they want you alive?" Chopper asked.

"Because I'm currently one of the best in my line of work." I admitted. It sucked that my work was being underappreciated for them. They have no idea how much I helped them in Alabasta and helped them get stronger. We got to that point because I made sure to train them and they took this seriously. If they didn't have me, they wouldn't grow as fast. "They probably want me to become a Chaser again. I was supposed to retire and keep the mask as a memento."

"Didn't you quit because of your injury?" Sanji asked.

Franky chuckled a little. I shook my head. I started. " Yeah. I thought it was a retirement injury but Enel somehow helped recover the nerve. Guess they made plans to get me once they realized I became a pirate."

"Well. World nobles like their toys very much." Franky finished.

"Why keep the mask?" Nami asked.

"It's a reminder of who I am. It keeps me close to my mom. My dad always told me that foxes were her favorite animal."

Franky looked at me and added. "I heard that Chasers come from a line of family."

I nodded to confirm."Yes. I was born in Mary Geoise because that's where my family lived. My father was a Chaser, but my mom wasn't. His codename was Grey Owl. He died three months after I became a Chaser."

"What about your mom?" Robin asked.

"My dad told me she died when I was born." I decided to give my family story. "No other family members I'm aware of. Grandparents were dead already. My father also had a sister but she also died when I was young. No one else in my mom's side of the family came to know me."

"I'm sorry about your loss. I'm sure they were great people." Nami said.

I scoffed. "My dad always treated me well. However, I'm not sure whether he actually loved me. He didn't have many morals and enjoyed killing. He was very focused on his missions, happy that he completed them. He said that I was as calculating and cunning as he was. Which I wish I didn't have. I also admit that I have his looks." I said truthfully.

Sanji said. "Sounds like your sense of emotion came from your mother."

I laughed. "He said she was always a jerk and mean to him. But he did love her. He said I got my thieving skills because of her." I stopped. "Anyway, that's it about me. I'll think about this. I still want to go on adventures with you guys and be a pirate." I smiled sorrowfully at them before walking inside the ship. "I'm going to my room now." I closed the door.

I didn't want to be disturbed. On the other side, I sighed. I wasn't angry at them; I just didn't want to remember about my past. I had seen it all growing up and knew how the slaves would be treated like. Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice other than to become a Chaser because of my family heritage.

What Iceburg said to Franky before he left was reminded me about my dream.

" _Why don't you forgive yourself?"_

I don't know see how I can forgive myself when I probably led at kidnapped at least twenty people to become slaves. What's even more disappointing is how things were like before I became a Chaser. I went to a room and meditated. [3]

* * *

Couple hours later

 **Nami POV**

We had all given some Yuuto some space. He clearly regretted his previous actions. He was trying to find atonement. I sighed. I wish he didn't have to be so hard on himself. Maybe someone could help him get over it.

Zoro called from the look out. "There's something floating on the sea."

Usopp came up from the deck. He pointed out. "It's a barrel with the word treasure on top of it."

Luffy threw a net and caught the barrel. "Could it be? Something dropped by a treasure?"

"I doubt it. It's probably alcohol." I said.

Everyone except Yuuto had come and looked. Zoro said. "Lets drink it."

Luffy nodded opened the barrel just as Yuuto opened the door and saw. We all saw a red flare at the sky. "Shoot. We just gave our position." Yuuto said. "That barrel was a trap. Someone could now target this ship."

Usopp went to the lookout. He had the best eyes out of all of us. Sanji and Zoro took a side to look for troube. Yuuto closed his eyes to sense the area around us . Luffy was ready to fight. Robin and Franky went down to prepare the weapons.

I felt the pressure change. "Everyone, we're going south-south-east! A storm will come in 5 minutes. That's the best way out of the storm" I announced.

Luffy shouted. "Got it!" Everyone kept going together.

Soon enough, as we tried to make our way out the storm, we only met headwind opposing us. Franky said on the speakers. "It's ok. That's why I installed paddle engine and cola engine. Everyone come inside!" With that, we took away our sails and let the Thousand Sunny paddle through the storm. We suddenly entered through the night. A couple minutes later, I realized it was actually a heavy fog.

"This is the Florian Triangle." Franky said.

We sailed around and eventually saw a ghost ship. We heard singing of 'Yohoho'. I looked and saw a faint figure that looked like a skeleton.

Luffy seemed excited and wanted to go. At that, the crew drew lots to keep an eye on Luffy. I was unlucky. I climbed behind Luffy and Sanji.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you Nami!" Sanji cried out.

Luffy also looked at me and tried to cheer me up. "You were looking forward to the treasure ship weren't you Nami?"

Normally, I would be happy but there's danger here. Did he not see the skeleton? "No way this is the treasure ship. You saw that moving skeleton right?"

Luffy claimed, "That's the guardian of the treasure." As we got on top of the ship, we saw him waiting for us. Now that I looked more carefully, he also had an afro.

"How do you do? Pardon me earlier. I saw you guys but I gave no greeting." He was scary to look at, but he had polite manners so far.

"It's a talking skeleton with an afro!" Luffy pointed out the obvious.

"What a surprise! It's been decades since I've met a living person. Please do come in!" He then looked at me. "My what a lovely young woman over there! Beautiful." I started blushing and put my hands up. At least this skeleton was friendly. Scary looking but friendly.

"I've never set eyes on such a beauty! That's because skeletons don't have eyes. Yohohoho!"

I sighed. "Eh… No… that's…." I kind of wish it was Luffy complimenting me. The fact that I traveled this long without him complimenting me while this nice skeleton has sucks.

"Perhaps you would be kind to show me your panties?" I hit him in the head. Nevermind, this skeleton is a pervert! As he laid down, "I felt that down to my bones. Down to my skeleton."

"Shut up!" I shouted angrily as Luffy laughed. I sent Luffy a death glare which also caused him to quiet down before he asked a question.

"Do you poop?" I fell to the floor. This was my crush everyone.

Sanji whacked him. "You don't ask that to anyone!" Why couldn't I actually have a crush on Sanji who was more reasonable?

"I do!" the skeleton responded.

"Shishishi. Become my nakama!" Luffy shouted as me and Sanji looked in shock at what just happened.

"Very well then." the skeleton responded before I could talk to Luffy calmly about why we shouldn't have a skeleton. He wasn't supposed to accept that.

"Sweet!" Luffy shouted. He grabbed all of us together and jumped down to the Thousand Sunny.

As he landed, the skeleton introduced himself to everyone. "Hello everyone! How do you do? I'm 'Dead-bones' Brook! Nice to meet you!"

I can see Zoro and Yuuto looking at us because we were in charge of keeping Luffy out of trouble. That failed. They should know better.

Chopper and Usopp tried to vanish him with their charms. Franky remained calm.

Brook looked around and saw Robin. "Oh hello young lady! Could you let me see your panties!"

I threw my boot at him. "Stop that you perverted skeleton."

"Hey Luffy! What the hell is this guy?" Zoro shouted pointing at him.

"He's funny, so I made him our nakama." Luffy said truthfully. Sanji and I tried to silently walk inside to avoid being reprimanded.

Zoro looked at us immediately and scolded us. "Why do you think you went with him? You were supposed to stop Luffy from running wild!"

"We're ashamed" Sanji and I responded and bowed. I didn't want to be scolded by my directionless friend.

Yuuto gave a sigh. "Zoro. Calm down. Luffy's hard to control and was going to do his own thing. We couldn't stop Luffy even if we wanted to. Come on, we have a guest on the ship." I looked surprised how he could be ok with this.

"How can you be so calm that we have a freaking skeleton on the ship?" Zoro asked him. Sanji and I nodded agreeing with Zoro's statement.

"He doesn't mean to hurt us. I can sense his will but not his presence. " Yuuto said. He looked confused about the last part. [4]

What did that mean?

* * *

 **Brook POV**

This first group of humans I've seen since 50 years led me down to their kitchen. I'm surprised they invited me to join their crew. I would even scare myself knowing how I look.

"What a wonderful dining room and kitchen. This is an incredible ship! Yohohoho!" I praised. I was happy to meet people. I have been lonely for such a long time. I must treasure this human interaction that I have.

"That's right. I made this ship!" Franky said. I nodded. He was quite a talented shipwright to have made this impressive ship.

Seeing the tense atmosphere because of me and my appearance, I decided to lighten the mood. "Since I'm a gentleman, I'll wait for the meal." I soon grabbed the knife and the fork yelling for dinner impatiently. Luffy joined me in the meantime. Even though people yelled at me, that seemed to lift their spirits. It didn't make it awkward.

During the dinner, I explained about my fruit and how I revived a second time. I told them about my old crew.

Yuuto then asked an important question. "How come you don't have a shadow?"

Everyone else gasped realizing that. I drank my tea calmly preparing to have answered that question. "Some years ago, a man stole my shadow."

"Gekko Moriah I presume?" He stated. Robin put her hand to her face at that.

"How did you know?" I was shocked for him to guess it on the first try.

"He's the first one I can think of with shadow abilities." He looked at Luffy and me. "I guess that explains why I can sense your will and not your presence if he took your shadow. You can't exist in a place with light." He deduced correctly. He gave Luffy a look. "I'm going to get something. I'll be back."

Yuuto seemed like a good fellow. I could tell he had something bothering him but he tried to ignore it and focus. He also seemed very perceptive and smart. Luffy said as he left. "I'll beat that guy up for you." I said.

"Huh?" I looked at the teenager who invited me.

"I already decided that you're my nakama." Nami, Usopp, and Chopper visibly shouted at that to oppose that. The others didn't look to surprised. Robin showed no emotion while Franky was surprised but didn't say anything. I heard them mention some names about that I was a scary skeleton specifically from Usopp and Chopper.

"I'm sorry. The truth is I should decline. I cannot leave here because this fog has protected me." I said truthfully. If light shone on me, I would disappear.

"That doesn't matter. We're friends." Luffy said without a moment's hesitation. I paused at him. "Where is it?" He was a good man.

"You're a good person. I'm surprised. Even then, I cannot tell you that." I continued. I didn't want to risk them.

Yuuto then came down carrying a journal. "Oh Brook, here are my notes on Moriah. Do you have anything you'd like to add?" He calmly said. He then set it up on the projector in the room.

I stood amazed at the history of Gekko Moriah he had. I read how he lost his crew to Kaido in the New World. In the meantime, Nami and Usopp looked surprised. "Yuuto. How did you know Luffy wanted to fight him?" Usopp asked.

"When you travel this long with Luffy, you pick up certain things. Our captain wants to get your shadow for you." He continued.

Zoro smiled. "Gekko Moriah. He's a Schibukai right?" He behaved in a way that showed some hidden authority.

"Correct. His former bounty is higher than yours Luffy." Robin said.

They said that in a manner that they were already ready to fight for me. I wanted to cry that I found something like this. I then saw a ghost. I fell back. Yuuto looked. "I didn't sense that. What is that?"

Suddenly, the ship vibrated. Oh no. I ran outside. "This ship is under surveillance already? Did you pick up a floating barrel on this sea."

"We did." Shoot. These people were already involved.

"That was a trap. This ship has been targeted ever since then. Look behind us." I pointed out to them.

Yuuto grumbled something. They all stared. "Why is there an island!" Chopper cried out.

"This is the ghost island that wanders through the sea. Thriller Bark." I looked at them. "You still want to help me?" If they were in danger themselves, they might as well help me.

All of them nodded except Nami, Usopp, and Chopper. However, they saw the other crew members and sighed. They knew they had to help no matter what.

"I will tell you what you need to know back inside." They nodded and we went inside. "There's a group that controls this island known as the Mysterious Four. Gekko Moriah, Hogback, Absalom, and Perona."

Chopper looked up. "Dr. Hogback? The genius surgeon who saved countless lives using miraculous operations."His young eyes sparkled hearing that.

Robin also looked up. "Wow. That such a famous doctor is here helping a pirate."

"I heard the name before, but I didn't put his name in the journal. He wasn't dangerous." Yuuto said.

"I want to meet him!" Chopper cried so optimistically. I inwardly sighed. I didn't want to ruin it. The tone Chopper said was full of admiration for a childhood hero. Some of the crew members heard me sigh at that and assumed what was about to happen.

Nami looked at me. "Please continue." She also pat a hand close to Chopper just in case.

"Dr. Hogback has been conducting research on reviving the dead. He treats the dead as experiments. Those who are resurrected are treated as slaves." I merely reported.

Chopper shook his head angrily. "I refuse to believe that. He's a great man. The great doctor I read about would not do something like that.". Nami, Usopp, and Robin looked at him sorrowfully. Nami rubbed his back in comfort.

"I'm sorry. But it's the truth." I apologized.

"Then. I'll confront him and find out." He became angry hearing that. Who wouldn't be after all hearing you childhood idol to not be what you want is pretty disheartening? Not that I have a heart anyway.

Seeing that he was handling it better than I expected, I continued. "Next is Absalom. He can turn invisible. Other than Moriah, he's probably the physically strongest."

"He's mine." Sanji cried out quickly as if he had a vendetta against him.

Ok. That's interesting. In the short time, the cook never really talked. "Absalom also controls general zombies. The strongest zombies around."

"Wait! We have to deal with zombies!" Nami interrupted me.

"Yeah. Don't worry, they have a weakness." I reassured them.

"Yeah. It's fire." Usopp claimed.

That's what I thought when I first saw them. "Actually, it's salt. If you put salt in their mouth and they digest it, they'll release the shadow."

Yuuto thought about it. "Franky, Usopp. Think you can make some saltwater bullets. That could also work. It must be related to a devil fruit power." He put on some gloves hearing that. Saltwater should work as well.

"Yes. It's Moriah's power. He will be looking to expand his army. Last is Perona. I don't know much about her. She seems to make people feel hopeless." Usopp and Robin put their hand on their mouths thinking about that. "Finally, be careful. Your shadows may also be taken for Moriah's army. They can put your shadow into a body." I finally warned.

Zoro shouted. "You should have mentioned that first!" The rest of the crew nodded.

"Sorry." I blushed and my cheek bones turned red. "We're already in their base already so you guys would be in danger either way. My shadow was put into a samurai from Wano." Zoro looked up hearing that. I guess he was the strong type who loved a good challenge. "I suggest we go in teams of at least 3 to make sure our shadows don't get taken."

Yuuto nodded. "How do you fight? I can plan better that way."

"With music and my sword." I answered trutfully.

"You're a musician!" Luffy cried out. I nodded. "Wow, our new crew member is a musician." He continued as he thought I accepted.

I felt so happy to be invited in a crew. Robin interrupted my thoughts. "How did you become so knowledgeable about this?"

"My shadow was taken away from me 5 years ago. I tried and fought but lost. I treasured my life so I ran away. I couldn't die again. I wanted to keep the promise I made with my nakama. I ran because I treasure my life." I hope Laboon was still doing fine. The others stayed quiet, interested in my story.

"Surviving wasn't a solution. That's why this time, I won't run away. Until I win against this man and take my shadow back."

"I have a question."Franky started. He looked serious. "Even if you get out of the sea, you'll follow the same fate of being lonely. To continue living like this, tell us about the promise you made!"

They were risking their life for me. I suppose it was fair to know why I acted like this. "Long ago, our pirate crew left one of our own behind. We promised to come back to the place where we departed with our ship. We were annihilated in this ocean." If only we were stronger. "We couldn't keep the promise we made with him. I stayed alive. All of this was for him since 50 years ago."

"To wait 50 years ago. I wonder if he's still alive." Yuuto said out loud. He brought up a good point. 50 years ago, lots of people could easily die.

"Would he even still believe in that promise?" Nami asked.

"I wonder that myself." I answered Nami's question. That was what I was afraid of the most. "He's most likely not waiting there and has given up." I paused knowing the reality. "But by any chance, what if he believed in our promise and is still waiting." I couldn't help but cling to that hope.

Chopper was entranced by my story. Franky moved his hands to his eyes. I heard some sniffles from him. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji smiled. Yuuto nodded as if there was something going among the four of them. Nami and Usopp looked at each other and also nodded. Robin closed her eyes but you could see a faint smile on her face.

I continued. "Can you imagine how lonely he'd be now? He must be thinking that he's been betrayed by us his nakama?" Zoro grinned even more at that."What if he's waiting even now. How miserable he must be feeling. I don't think he'd ever forgive us for dying in vain. I think he'd yell at the distant skies for us making such a selfish promise. Death doesn't count as an apology because a man promised to him that he'd come back!" Usopp, Chopper, and Franky started crying at that.

Franky yelled. "You're a man Brook. You may be a skeleton but you're definitely a man!"

Usopp also cried out. "What a promise by a great man!"

Ignoring them, I continued my story. "The name of our nakama, whom we swore to reunite with on that coast, is Laboon."

"Laboon!" Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Yuuto all cried out simultaneously. The others looked confused.

"You mean..." Zoro mentioned.

"Is this for real?" Usopp continued.

I ignored them. Lost in my thought. "There was no way we could take a little whale on our dangerous journey. I can only imagine how big he's become by now."

"Wait!" Luffy shouted. "We know that whale." I stopped. Chopper, Robin, and Franky looked confused and in shock. "He's still waiting for you." I looked at him in disbelief. "We really met that whale at twin capes." Franky and Chopper continued crying hearing that.

"You met him!" Franky asked.

"This was before we even met Chopper." Yuuto elaborated.

I felt tears coming in my eyes even though I don't have eyeballs. "Wait a second. Did you really meet Laboon?" I asked.

Zoro nodded. "We're witnesses. We certainly met him." Usopp said wiping away his earlier tears.

"The man waiting there was Crocus if that's helps." Yuuto added. I nodded my head furiously. I remember that man would watch after him. He must at least be 70 by now.

Nami continued. "I guess now I understand why you guys made that poor whale wait so long."

"That whale kept banging his head on the wall for you guys." Sanji said.

"Luffy made him stop banging his head by becoming his rival." Nami continued also shedding a couple tears.

"It's an unbelievable story. They kept that promise for over 50 years." Usopp continued. He nodded his head respecting the promise that was made.

"Is he doing well?" I asked. I wanted to know how he was. For him to wait so long, he must have been feeling miserable.

"He's doing better now. Luffy became his friend. Laboon's big as a mountain." Yuuto said.

"I see. So you're doing well! I'm happy to hear that." I held my hands to wipe away the tears I had. I have never felt so happy to know that he was still alive.

At that, Zoro got up and walked outside. Yuuto cried out. "Wait up Zoro! You're going to need backup." He also got out of his seat and followed him.

"Where are you two going?" Nami asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yuuto asked.

"We shouldn't waste anymore time. We're getting his shadow back after all right captain?" Zoro said. Luffy smiled and ran along. This crew knew each other so well. I quickly wiped away my tear.

"Some people should stay and watch the ship." I warned.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll stay here." Nami answered. Usopp also raised his hand in fear.

"I'll stay here and protect you Nami-san!" Sanji cried out forgetting about how he wanted to attack Absalom.

After a couple moments, no one else said anything. Yuuto planned out loud. "Alright. I think we should split into two teams. Team 1 will have Zoro, me, Brook, and Franky. Team 2 will have Luffy, Chopper, and Robin." Yuuto planned out. "Remember, they are probably after our shadows so be careful."

We then headed out to Thriller Bark.

* * *

AN:

[1] Remember Robin's silly imagination that's been mentioned in the manga.

For the paw-paw fruit, she thought of a cat.

For Dressrosa, she thought of an old woman in a robe.

Imagine how she views herself in armor.

[2] Chopper still gets 50 beris as his bounty. I couldn't pass that gag up.

Truthfully, he's worth 200 beris.

Alright fine, he's honestly worth 50 million if they knew about his monster point.

[3] I decided to call the line of profession that Yuuto was a Chaser. This name was kind of last minute seeing that I never gave him a job title other than bodyguard.

However, I did have most of his backstory and his future planned out. I did have the special treatment at Impel Down mentioned planned.

To answer a review I read about a separate arc for Yuuto, his past will be connected with the story. I will try to connect each character's personal growth as they go along with the story. Just remember that Yuuto worked directly under the World Nobles (but not the marines or the World Government), so his story and development will connect with people in that situation.

Feel free to come up with your own theory about his past in a review. I love to hear what ideas you may have and any foreshadowing I may have had in the previous chapters.

[4] This is a note related to Haki according to how I view it.

This is based off of chapter 928. anything after that revealed about Haki is probably different from what I thought.

I believe Haki is related to will and about sensing will.

Because the zombies don't have a will, they listen to their master and won't fight for themselves. I think it's going to be hard for observation users to know what they are going to do. Likewise, I don't think they would be able to use armament Haki because I think armament Haki is a force of will showing that you want to fight.

Expect the Thriller Bark Fights to be released in two-three days.

Please leave a review about what you may have liked in this chapter. This chapter is a lot of dialogue about certain characters and finding out about them. It is really hard to develop all these characters and as of right now I am afraid of not developing Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Brook adequately enough in the future. If you have an idea about them, please leave it in a review.

Happy Holidays!


	25. Chapter 25 Thriller Bark

Disclaimer: Sigh* I do not own One Piece. That will not change in the year 2019.

Happy New Year!

Thanks for the encouraging reviews and messages! This is the longest chapter because I decided to finish the rest of Thriller Bark in one chapter.

Please feel free to read and give me a review on what I can improve on.

* * *

Thriller Bark

 **Chopper POV**

We had beaten a lot of zombies on the way to the giant mansion. Once we got inside, we kept going around the mansion until we came to a room with a short man with a girl.

"You? Who are you?" The short fat man asked.

"I'm Luffy! The man who will be pirate king!" Luffy shouted. "Where's Moriah? I want to kick his ass!"

"I'm Dr. Hogback. He's not here." So this was him. He didn't look amazing as I thought he would be.

"Dr. Hogback. Is it true that you are experimenting on zombies?" I asked. I wanted to know.

He smiled cruelly. "So what if I am? What does it matter to you reindeer?"

I growled at that. He didn't value the joy behind being a doctor. He was violating a code. "So it's true." At that, one of my childhood hero disappointed me. "Luffy. I want you to leave him to me." I glared at Hogback until I felt that Luffy looked at me.

Luffy smiled understanding my problem. I had mentioned how I used to idolize Dr. Hogback. "You got it!"

The man pointed and ordered the girl. "Cindry-chan get them!"

"Yes!" She started throwing dishes at Luffy which he quickly dodged. Soon they stopped.

He looked behind him and saw what happened. "Thanks Robin!" Robin had used her powers to stop them.

"Go ahead Luffy!" she called out.

"Wait!" Hogback yelled tried to go after him. At that, more zombies came out.

I interrupted. "I'm disappointed. I am Dr. Chopper. I won't regard you as a doctor anymore!" How could he violate the Hippocratic Oath to respect a patients' lives?

"So you're a doctor? Interesting a reindeer."

"I respected you as a doctor who saved the lives of many people." A doctor is someone who saves people.

"Why should I go so far for others. I performed many operations for money but more and more patients who I didn't want to see came to me." I stayed quiet. A doctor should be willing to save lives. That's why we're doctors. "It only causes so much trouble." The feeling of being thanked as a doctor is the only reward we should have. He ranted. "I could save the lives of those that other moronic doctors couldn't save."

"That girl in this room is already dead." I saw the stitches. "You just make the zombies move. They are not alive at all."

"What a horrible thing to say! Look at the zombies moving in front of you. You're still saying they aren't alive. The deceased is once again granted life. It's a miracle. What's the meaning in denying those lives?"

He was violating a principle of life. "What's the point of living if you can't control what you want to do? How is that human? You are just creating monsters! For every zombie you make, you leave a human misery! Because I understand that, I can't allow you to do this!" I growled ready to punch Hogback. I morphed to heavy point.

"Cindry." She ran to intervene. I grabbed her arms. "Don't underestimate her because she's a woman!" He threatened. That didn't matter she was just lifeless.

"You don't have to listen to what that person says!" I cried and grabbed her. She tried kicking me but I didn't move. I smiled realizing how Yuuto has helped train me to take a hit. "I pity you. You are already dead! How would your family feel seeing you like this!"

"Let go!" She cried.

"The heart you were born with is dead. Your body is being controlled by the words of a single man." I said trying to see maybe she would acknowledge the truth I was saying.

"You doubt your eyes. Acknowledge it! This is mankind's eternal dream! Humans can be revived?" Hogback continued.

"Is it ok that they can only move?" I asked. "Humans have more freedom" I shouted. "You are the one who isn't treating them as humans!" I directed that toward Hogback. A doctor treats humans not as emotionless zombies but as actual people.

"Zombies stop him!" I slightly threw Cindry away and punched the other zombies. As Hogback was about to give another order, Robin closed his mouth. I dealt with the other zombies and purified each and every one.

Now it was just me, Robin, and Hogback. I quickly grabbed him. "Robin!" I shouted. I was going to toss him down. Robin used her power so that I could have more legs. Once we reached a certain height, I was ready.

"What are you doing? If we fall from this height, you might hurt my head. You'll be destroying the brains of a prodigy?"

"That doesn't matter. What's more rotten than the zombies is what's inside your head!" I then leaped off and knocked him unconscious.

 **Robi-Cho Suplex!**

He was knocked unconscious. "I used to look up to you, but now I know who you are. You disgust me." I look at Robin. "Let's find Luffy!" She nodded and we chased after where we thought where Luffy went.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

I had finished showering. During my shower, I remembered the looks my crew was giving each other while Brook was telling the story. He loved his nakama like how much we cared about each other. He would definitely fit in with this group. I think the crew accepted him already. Zoro even mouthed to Sanji and Yuuto that he would fit right in as Brook was talking.

Even though he was a creepy looking pervert, Brook did mean well and he was nice…. Most of the time.

I had gotten dressed up and finished drying myself. I heard the door open. I was ready to beat Sanji to a pulp. He was the only one on the ship who would try to sneak a peek. He just never did it before. As I looked, I didn't see anyone.

Hmm. That's strange. Suddenly, I was pushed along the door. I heard a strange growl.

"You're weak and I like it." That was a strange voice. Was this a ghost? "Become my bride!" It was a perverted ghost.

I yelled, "Sanji! Uso-" I felt his hand on me. I struggled as much as I could but I couldn't get out. I was going to remind Yuuto to teach me and Robin how to get out of these series of hold positions.

The door opened and saw them. In that moment of distraction, I kicked out and ran to my friends.

"I'm telling you the invisible man would go here!" Sanji yelled.

"Why would you think that?" Usopp asked.

He kept quiet at that. I asked hurriedly, "Nevermind that, how do we fight an enemy we can't see?" I grabbed my climatact. I was soon lifted up and held. I struggled again.

"I've chosen my bride. Let's leave!" I was then led upstairs. Usopp noticed and tried to fire around my general area. Sanji kept chasing after us. I think he was afraid of kicking and hurting me by accident.

I heard a couple hits from the bullets that Usopp fired and started whacking the general area with my climatact. It was hard to use my full strength because of the position I was in. I whacked in a general area, but he still kept going. He leaped into the air and landed on a boat. There were three suits of armor nearby. One suit of armor then grabbed me while my kidnapper steered away. The other suits of armor gagged me and tied me up.

Sanji used his Sky Walk technique to follow while Usopp continued firing at the boat. Eventually my crewmates stopped firing me. I looked down and saw my kidnapper then turned the entire boat invisible. I heard Sanji yell and become enraged and continued going toward the land.

Knowing Usopp, he was going to go on land because no one was going to protect him. Great, all of us ended up being inside Thriller Bark either way.

I hope the ship stays safe.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

"Wait!" I told my group. I sensed something. "Nami got on the island." Around us were at least 400 corpses that were already purified.

"That's not like her." Zoro stated.

"It's not. I think she was forced or kidnapped." I sensed her with another presence.

"That person was strong enough to get through both swirly brow and Usopp?" Zoro asked. He knew how protective they would be. I nodded.

Franky thought. "Maybe the ship needs traps for invaders too." I nodded no. It would be hard to tell apart who was good or bad.

"Remember that Absalom can turn invisible. I forgot to mention that he's a pervert." Brook stated. I paused, thinking what he implied. He kidnapped Nami for perverted reasons?

"Sanji will go find her. I'll find Usopp. He's by himself now. You guys go ahead. My observation can still sense the zombies' presences but not their will." I couldn't sense their attacks or what they wanted to do. I could only tell that they were there. Still, the zombies we fought were pretty weak.

I quickly ran to Usopp. There was an enemy close by.

* * *

 **Usopp POV**

So far the zombies were easy to beat. I just needed to fire salt water into their mouths and they were gone.

I kept running around trying to find someone. Nami had gotten kidnapped and it was my fault for letting him pass by. Even if the enemy was invisible, it was still my responsibility to protect her. I heard Yuuto's voice. "I'm worthless. I'll never be able to atone for what I've done. I should just die."

I grimaced hearing that. I saw how much regret he had on his face for whatever his past was everyday. However, he never said that to that extreme.

I went to him. "Yuuto. Get up. You're not like this." I put my hand out expecting him to take it.

He didn't and looked at me momentarily. "Usopp." He then looked down. "You don't need to help me. Just leave me alone. I'm not worthy of walking the same earth as you."

Before I could try and lift him up, I heard a laugh. "Horo horo horo! He fell victim to my power. I am Perona!"

I winced. Brook mentioned her powers. I got out my Kabuto. "I won't lose to you!"

"You sure? Negative Hollow!" A ghost went through me. I fell down and felt nothing changed about me. I just thought worse about myself than normal. Still, this was nothing.

"Now zombies. Let's get them to Moriah." She turned around as if the job was finished. I immediately got up and fired salt in their mouths.

"I won't let you touch my crew!" I cried defiantly.

She looked at me. "Pretending to be negative. Here's another negative hollow." This time, I continued standing up. "Why aren't you falling down? How did you do it?"

"I didn't do anything. I'm always negative!" This negativity was something I was already used to. I look over to Yuuto. "Yuuto. You're stronger than this. Go find Nami. She's been kidnapped. I can handle this! Leave everything to me!" I wanted to rescue Nami. It was my responsibility earlier to protect her. But this particular opponent's power was something only I could counter.

I paused.

This felt ironic. Normally, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto would be in this moment.

How come I didn't feel like a badass?

Yuuto slowly got up. "I'll find Nami." He then continued running away.

All the zombies were already defeated.

I was soon blasted by four negative hollows at once. I continued standing. I saw those four hollows and Perona lean over. I heard her say. "How?"

"When it comes to thinking negatively, no one can do it better than me!" I proudly boasted.

She then started running away. I chased after her to make sure she couldn't go after my crew. I was feeling pretty confident. [1]

* * *

 **Nami POV**

When thezombies put me in a jail cell and left, I immediately unlocked my chains and started sneaking away. I needed to find one of my crew members or any secret treasure.

Suddenly, a wild boar started chasing after me. "I'll take Abaslom as my husband! I know he's after you." I ran for a bit. I thought back. Absalom was the name of the invisible ... whatever he was that kidnapped me.

I stopped to catch my breath. As the boar came closer, I put my hands up. Thinking of the a quick lie, I blurted out. "Wait. I'm actually a man."

She stopped running. "Huh?" She believed that?

"Yes. I like to dress like a man." I thought more about what she said. "I think you and Absalom will look good together." That was a more believable lie. Especially when I've encouraged love like this to Vivi and Robin before.

"Really!" She continued. I smiled. She was pretty gullible.

"I'm not making it up. You guys complement each other with the way you both look." There that made the lie better.

She kneeled. "No one has ever supported my feeling before. You are the first one to say such kind words of support to me." I smiled. This was great.

"Raise your head my friend! That's what friendship is! I'm Namizou so they call me Nami."

"Fri… friendship." she whispered. "I'm Lola."

"Yeah. I'm a nice person." I continued. "Tell me what have you tried."

"Well." She thought about it. "When his guard is down, I try putting him in an armlock and get his fingerprints on the marriage contract. His guard is never down. He manages to avoid touching the paper." She continued.

Hm. I considered. "Really. Lola. You have this all wrong."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"He's resisting because he's conscious. You should wait until he's asleep." I stated. A girl should fight dirty this way.

"Attack him in his sleep? Is that ok? Won't it make me a bad person?" She answered.

I narrowed my eyes on purpose to show how serious I was. "They say love is a battle. Besides you're a zombie." There was a loophole.

"I forgot about that! What a nice blind spot!" She nodded.

"By the way Lola… I lost something in the treasure room." There has to be treasure here as well. I'll grab it before I meet my friends. "I want to get it back. Can you tell me how to get there? In the meantime, talk to him again. I won't see Absalom again."

She gave me the instructions. I held her hand. "Do your best! You two would make the best couple!" I encouraged.

"I'll do my best. Thank you Nami! You have given me courage!" She ran away. I continued my way to the treasure room.

After a couple minutes, I was suddenly gagged by an invisible force. I tried to step on Absalom's foot but missed. I soon lost consciousness because I couldn't breathe.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I made my way to the chapel. One zombie mentioned there was a wedding ceremony because Absalom was getting married. That was the name of the invisible pervert.

Seeing that he kidnapped Nami, I figured he might be trying to marry her. As I made my way, I considered more about this power. I sadly figured out why Sanji was angry. He must have wanted that devil fruit power for… I'm not going to finish that thought. A part of me wants to do the same thing; another part of me would hate myself if I stooped that low.

As I ran, I was stopped by a zombie. I looked more closely. I've seen his face before. There's scars and marks but I've seen his face before.

"That mask looks familiar." He said threateningly.

Is he a Chaser? I carefully analyzed him more and froze realizing it was my father's former master. "So you're Yuki Akira. [2]" I said. He had died when I was 3 but I don't remember meeting him. I've only seen pictures of him before at my old house. He was the record holder for completing the most missions as a Chaser. His codename was the Black Lion.

"Did I know you in my past life?" He asked quickly.

"No. You were my father's teacher. He kept a picture of you." I answered back.

"Ah! Well you must also be one of the pirates I've been ordered to capture." This was not good. If he was anything like the stories that my father told me about, he was going to be serious trouble. He was regarded as the best fighter Chaser of all time. There was no way for me to feed him salt.

I groaned, not expecting to deal with this. He already started trying to strike me. His movements involved a punch and then he would change direction to try and land an elbow or shoulder strike. I needed to worry more about those because they were short but explosive. The problem was I couldn't tell what he was doing.

"So that's Bajiquan." I stated and I took a step back. Observation haki was going to be useless. Luckily, I blocked his first four attacks. I however, knew that it was going to be a matter of time before he really hurt me.

"That's not going to help you even if you know what it is" He maintained his distance away from me. He was right. I didn't know how to counter this style. Most of my styles I studied were focused on punches, kicks, knees, and holds. Well, looks like I found a new martial art to study.

I needed to think what to do next. He's a zombie, so he doesn't feel pain. I would have to hold and subdue him and force feed him salt. That was the style I was comfortable with anyway anyway. I also have my seastone gloves. Unfortunately, I couldn't use those claws because they were not very good for tearing flesh apart. They could make people bleed easily but if he's a zombie, that doesn't matter.

"Judo eh?" He said. He then changed his position.

This is not good. I know that style. It focuses on low strikes and attacking my hip area. Judo leaves my lower body open to attack. I then changed to a sambo fighting stance..

"Are we going to keep changing our fighting styles or what?" He changed again. I groaned. He was psyching me out. I need to remain calm and just fight normally. I was thinking too much.

He went in and punched me in the face. I recovered and tried tripping him. He dodged by pulling back. I jumped forward while he was ready to punch me back. He pulled back just before he hit me.

"Come on. You can do better than that. Again." He said.

Was he giving me advice? Brook mentioned that zombies don't remember their past lives over a while. What was different?

I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

Akira shrugged. "Something about you. Now fight me. I want a good fight."

I then took some time to calm myself. I needed to think about it. He was in my mind because of his reputation. I never had this problem while with the Staw Hats before. Then again, he was probably going to be the best martial artist I ever faced.

I closed my eyes. He continued talking. "You fight with a lot of turmoil in you. Is it because of being a Chaser? Or are you too weak?" He taunted. He was trying to get a rise out of me.

I then dodged his attack. "I was meditating." I admitted that he was partly correct.

"Well. That turmoil does explain why you can't use armament Haki. To use armament Haki, you need to have a strong will to be willing to fight. Unfortunately, because I don't have a proper will anymore, I can't use armament Haki right now."

That makes sense why I can sense their presence but not their attacks. Did that mean I couldn't sense what they are doing because of their lack of will?

Still, I'm taking what he said. Is my struggle with my past preventing me from using armament Haki?

"Tch. You're like your mother." Akira said.

"What? You figured out who I am." Wasn't he only my father's teacher? How would he know about my mother?

He looked confused too. "I don't know where that came from. Don't worry about it. Figure it out if you beat me."

Maybe, the zombie still had some hidden memories left. I'm curious about knowing more about my mother.

I soon landed a hit in his face. However, he looked at me. "I give you a free hit, and you can't even hurt me." Seastone didn't seem to work.

I groaned. I needed to stop him from moving then. Back to Judo then.

"Oh you went back to that?" He taunted.

"You talk more than what my father described." I retorted.

"I never met your father and your father doesn't know me." He paused. "Again. I don't know where that came from."

He wasn't making any sense. "My father was Kaiya Sora." I told him.

"I trained him. But I don't know your father." He paused again. "Stop it. Let's just fight. I don't know what's going on with me. I just know I have to capture you."

The many times I said that last sentence as an actual Chaser. It brought unnecessary memories.

As he tried attacking my lower body with his left foot, I simply grabbed it and started cracking his toes. I then chopped his knee as much as I could. I heard it break a little.

"Oh. I see. You're using the traditional stances but changing the usual motions with them. Clever like your mother. Anyway, you're going to need to break a lot more than that." I then punched his mouth. He wasn't going to move around very easily.

"Shut up! If you don't know what you're talking about." I wanted to focus on the fight.

He kept coming at me. As I tried to break his bones again, he used his other arm to strike me. He then kicked me with the leg that I partly broke. It was even faster than earlier.

As he tried striking me with an elbow, I sidestepped and held his left shoulder and tried to break what I could. I definitely heard a crack. He hit me with his right fist.

Normally, I'd also try to dodge his attacks. However, because he hasn't felt pain, I was intentionally sacrificing my body so I could break his bones and stop him from moving. Could I outlast his attacks?

We traded blows at least twenty times. It went like this. I dislocated his right shoulder but he popped it back into place. I tried breaking his left knee again but he punched me with his right. I tried breaking his right elbow, he'd respond with the left knee that I tried to break earlier.

After a couple more similar exchanges, he told me. "Well, you lasted longer than Sora would." I wasn't going to argue. I was focused on fighting and beating him. I didn't really know how I would be feeling after I took 10 more of these exchanges. He then came at me, when he stopped moving. "What? How come I can't move?"

"Finally." I let out. "Every time that I tried breaking your body, I've also been sending electrical shocks." I had gotten my new electric dials to replace the flame dials in my hand. "You just lost muscular control for your body. Because you're a zombie, you lasted longer than necessary. You would have noticed the electric shocks if you were human." I had changed to a style that involve longer contact and another way to win in case it didn't work. Still, bones are hard to break.

I remember how I couldn't move during Little Garden before I met Chopper. That was when I tried to see if my electric dials could work like that. I walked up to him ready to put salt in his mouth.

"You were a tough opponent Akira, but you would have won if you had actually felt the pain." I commended. I felt the need to show him respect. Still, I felt pity for him because even in death he had to unconditionally obey his master.

Just like in life we had to unconditionally obey the World Nobles or else we die because of the explosives placed in us.

"I see." Akira said. "It was a good fight. You're like your mother and Sora."

Just as I was about to put salt into his mouth, he said something. "Sora never told you didn't he."

"What?" I asked. I decided to humor him. "What about my father? It's because of him that I lived this lifestyle." Being born to a family of Chasers was a curse. We were expected to be the World Noble's guard/fetch dogs. Not to mention the crimes we committed.

"Sora never wanted you to have the same lifestyle as he did. He took more missions to protect you." I was confused. "Your mother's name is Kairi if you didn't know." Tired of the random stuff facts he was blurting out when he didn't really know at all, I put salt in his mouth.

Still, I never knew my mother's name now that I thought about it. My father never told me.

What was my father keeping from me?

[3]

* * *

 **Brook POV**

Soon enough, my zombie came with a bunch of other zombies to the group I was in. "Yohohoho." I heard that familiar laugh.

"I see why he's your zombie now." Franky said. I nodded at him.

"Allow me to fight him. It's my shadow." I offered. Zoro and Franky both nodded, honoring that it was my responsibility. They continued fighting the other zombies in our way.

Ryuma looked at me and said. "So. You came back. You don't give up even after being pushed up. You should run away."

"Shut up! You are my shadow. Please come back!" I earnestly pleaded.

He stood up. "Are you going to be shamefully begging for your life. Saying just not the afro, not the afro."

I narrowed my eyes… if I had any. "No. I can't do that! Say what you want. I've waited five years for this chance to come once again." We started trying to slash each other.

I have been training five years for this chance. Five years so I can get my shadow and fulfill my promise to Laboon.

He met me blow for blow.

"You have become stronger in the passing years." He then cut me faster than I could block it. "Though the same applies to me! Because we think alike!" I fell down. He had gotten stronger. This was not good. I didn't think he would train. "Like always, you cherish your afro. With a weak point that big, there's no way can avoid it being hit!"

"Silence!" I yelled. I continued attacking him. I wasn't fighting for my sake. I was fighting for Laboon. His attacks overpowered me. He continued attacking around my hair. "Stop! Leave my hair alone!" I blocked them. My afro was the only thing that made Laboon laugh. Maybe he'd remember me. That's why I have to protect this.

I kept taking some of the attacks. "You're like a phoenix or a zombie. You shouldn't be able to stand back up anymore." I panted at that. I'm not fighting for myself; that's why I can't back down. "I'd like to see you stop completely. You won't be able to get your shadow back ever again. Where would you like me to cut with my Yahazu Giri!"

I growled and got back up. "You don't know anything. So don't use that name. My shipmates praised that technique and renamed it. 'Hanauta Sanchou Yahazu Giri.'" How dare my own shadow taunt me. "You may have my personality and my skill, buy you don't have any of my memories. You have no right to use that name!" I got ready for the final strike.

"Yohohoho. If you claim to be its creator, then you must be able to best my fake one. This is your last chance."

We silently agreed to put the technique to the test. We slowly walked to each other and made our attacks at the same time. And then past each other. After three steps, we sheathed both of our swords simultaneously. Well, actually, I tried to.

 **Hanauta Sanchou Yahazu Giri!**

I felt my own attack used against me and fell down. Angry that I lost, I felt grabbed from behind. "First this afro." I wasn't just angry at myself for my weakness. I was angry at not fulfilling my promise to Laboon.

Suddenly, Ryuma fell back from a shock. Franky ran to get me.

"You are not allowed to touch the loser without my consent." He then tried to stab us both.

I heard metal clashing each other. "Wait a second." I looked and saw Zoro. "So you are the legendary samurai who cut a dragon. I didn't know someone like that existed." He then started dueling with him. "I've been looking forward to this!"

I saw the clash. It was a clash between two swordmen. I knew from that clash Zoro was stronger than me. "Please… my shadow… get my shadow back please…."

Zoro motioned me to be quiet. "That sword of yours… it looks nice."

"Yohohoho! You have a good eye. This is Shuusui."

"It's one of the great swords. I'd love to wield it!" Zoro exclaimed.

"What!" I cried out. My shadow is more important than your sword!

Franky motioned to me to be quiet. "Zoro uses three swords. He broke one of them."

Zoro ignored us. "I'm going to take it from your corpse." That was kind of funny because Ryuma was already a corpse. He sheathed two swords out.

"I see. Then try to do so with all your might! But you already seem to have 3 of them."

"One is broken. I won't feel good until I replace it."

This conversation was between two swordsman.

"I suppose. You seem strong. It's like if some creature was coming to eliminate me." I nodded at that. Zoro gave that impression. "It's a strange throbbing feeling. Like my body wants to dance." It seemed that Ryuma had some desire for a fight.

They clashed.

 **Aubade Coup Droit!**

Zoro dodge the thrust. I looked and saw the damage it caused from the tree. He was holding back against me.

"That's like a pistol!" Franky exclaimed.

"It's a thrust. But even if I do that technique, it doesn't become like that!" I admitted.

Then after a moment of time, some of the trees behind Ryuma were cut. Zoro's slice can also fly.

"They're both "power" swordsmen. This match won't last for too long." Who was going to fall first?

The next five minutes was the most intense sword fighting I have ever witnessed. Every clash they had, trees were being shaken and rocks were being destroyed. You could feel the force even when we were about 100 meters away.

I never stood a chance at all. Ryuma wasn't serious at all when he fought me.

Please Zoro-san. I quietly prayed. Get my shadow back for me.

After a couple more minutes, they stopped. I saw a wound on fire on the zombie.

Did Zoro win?

The zombie approached Zoro. "It was a wonderful match. It would be this katana's wish for you to be its master." He then dropped the sword. His body caught fire.

Zoro grabbed the sword before it touched the ground. "As long as you feel ashamed, that's enough. As long as there was the mind and body of a warrior. I would have wanted to meet you when you were alive." Zoro said.

"Yohohoho!" my zombie cried to agree with that. I then saw something leave his mouth.

"My shadow!" I cried out. "It's back!" I looked gratefully at Zoro for doing what I could not do.

We then saw a crash from the mansion.

What was that!

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

A little earlier

I burst into the chapel. "Nami-swan!" I cried out. Ready to save her.

I saw a woman in a wedding dress. "Huh? A goddess?" I looked more closely. "Oh. I was surprised. It's Nami-san. I thought that was a goddess by mistake."

I then saw a beast-like man growl. "Who are you?" He asked. "How dare you interfere with my wedding? Are you part of the crew on that ship?"

I nodded. "You must be Absalom." I had another problem with him. One, he took Nami away from me. Two, we had a connection.

He then tried to fire at me with his invisible bazooka. I had used Soru to dodge. "That almost hit Nami. You should avoid using attacks that can hurt uninvolved people."

"You dodge it well." I then ignored him a bit while I put Nami on a bench. Wow, she looked really beautiful. White really did suit her. "I'm really busy right now. My underlings have been trying to catch your crews' shadows. I have to seal the vow by kissing my bride."

"Bride?" Make that reason number three. He was trying to marry Nami. I then ran to kick his face. I sent him flying.

As I got up close to him, he yelled, "Hands of the deceased." I then put his arms away and kicked him again.

"The invisible beast that appeared on the thousand Sunny and saw Nami naked in the shower was you?" I assumed. It's something I would do. I kicked him again. "What was that about marriage!"

He tried to retreat but I still saw him. I kicked him.

"Not only that. But you are the man who took away one of my dreams." I was furious.

"I don't remember. You and I met for the first time today." He said.

Don't play innocent with me. "You're an invisible man." That was all I needed to say. He looked confused. "The things you can do with that power. I know all of them. When I was little, I read a devil fruit book. There was one item there that moved my heart. If I came across this fruit, I wanted to eat it. Unfortunately," I glared at him. "There's only one fruit of each kind." I would never have the chance to eat it unless I killed him.

He looked confused. "Do you get it!" I became furious that he didn't know what he did that caused me to be so angry. "I wanted to become an invisible man! You crushed my dream when you ate the Suke Suke fruit!" I roared.

"I wanted to go after my dream. If I ate it, imagine what I could do with it. I would peep…. help mankind. I would peep… benefit mankind with that ability." Please. The potential of the fruit was so much. And it was wasted on this imbecile.

I was thinking of turning invisible next to a woman sleeping. I could even try and pretend to be an invisible wind to look at woman's panties or at the hotsprings.

This was a noble cause for all of mankind!

"Just when I thought it was something. You spout some stupid connection. You perverted bastard!" He shouted.

I kicked him. "I don't want to hear that from you!" He didn't get it.

"The last laugh will be mine." He then turned invisible, and I couldn't see him. "I will turn the woman you wanted to protect into my bride." I grabbed Nami and closed my eyes. Maybe I could hear him or sense him.

"I'm not giving her up."

"Then I'll teach you the power!" He then kicked my face. I tried lifting Nami. I couldn't have her clothes be dirty. I felt a barrage coming. Despite that, I remained focused.

From the left. I dodged. I could kind of see him. It wasn't clear, but I could see him. I lightly threw Nami up in the air. I then kicked where he was going. I caught Nami just before she hit the ground. I smiled.

This must be Observation Haki. I lay her on the bench again.

"I can see you now." I warned.

"You're bluffing. That was a lucky shot!"

I then ran up to him. I got in his face. "You were saying."

I then kicked him so he was stuck in the wall.

Suddenly, that wall broke.

I saw a giant that screamed. "Sanji! Meat! I'm hungry."

Who the hell is this giant? Why does he sound like Luffy?

* * *

 **Zoro POV**

After my duel with Ryuma, we saw a giant zombie punch a wall. He yelled, "Sanji! Meat! I'm hungry."

"That sounds like Luffy." I warned. Brook widened his eye sockets.

"He must have gotten captured and his shadow is in that body now."

That's not good. "Shoot. Can we beat that?" Franky said.

"We have to. Luffy lost to Moriah. We have to either beat Moriah or his shadow to win now." I growled.

Suddenly, the giant yelled. "Strawhats! Come out so I can beat you to get my meat!"

That's definitely Luffy's shadow alright. "Great. Now he's looking for us. I hope we don't..." I saw the giant slam his palm on the wall and swirly brow jump. "Shoot. We have to go over now. If we don't Swirly brow's going to die."

Stupid swirly brow bastard. Don't get yourself in more trouble.

All three of us started running toward them. We were about two minutes away.

I then saw Yuuto jump off a different building and tried to punch the giant's knee. Yuuto's helping Sanji stay alive. He wouldn't engage that giant unless necessary. Swirly brow was dragging us into a fight.

As we ran, the giant noticed Yuuto and looked. "Wow! A superhero!" Was that what Luffy called Yuuto when he saw his mask for the first time. "I like superheroes but I have to beat you to get meat." He cried out. Yuuto backed some distance away. The giant yelled, "Gomu Gomu no..."

That was definitely Luffy's shadow. To have his abilities too is going to be tough to deal with.

Yuuto dodged it. I breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't stretch but it still had a large reach because he was a giant.

We finally made it to them. "What are you doing Luffy?" I yelled. He should know who we are.

"Luffy? He is my enemy! My name is Oars! Nice to meet you!" This was bad. He looked at us. "Oh. That's two more Strawhats! That means I can get more meat!" I sighed.

In the meantime, Sanji had skywalked behind him and kicked his face behind. He didn't go down. As Sanji was walking down Oars turned back and punched him.

"Such a fast speed for a large body." Franky noticed.

"Yeah. I can feel Luffy's presence there. Nice of you guys to join the party." Yuuto noticed us. "Did you guys bring more salt? We're going to need a lot of salt for this party." He was panting heavily. He looked in pretty bad shape. We shook our heads no. We almost used all of it for the zombies. He sighed. "Don't you guys know that you need to bring salt in order to attend this party?"

If Yuuto was joking around this much, that must mean he was getting tired. Before I responded back, I saw Sanji was about to be grabbed. Before that happened, I saw a fire bullet and Oars pulled back. I looked from the direction it came from.

It was Usopp, Chopper, and Robin. Yuuto noticed also. "Oh. I hope they brought salt. Otherwise, this was going to be a boring party with no salt..." Yuuto then had his knee on the floor.

Brook went up to get him. "Are you ok?"

Yuuto then became a little serious. "I had a tough fight. He was a better martial artist than me. He broke a couple of my bones." The last time I've seen Yuuto in this condition was when he fought against Crocodile.

"Brook. Take Yuuto away from here. He's in no condition to fight." I ordered.

Yuuto shook his head. "No. I can still figure out what his weakness is. If salt doesn't work, then we need to break his body." I gave him a look that said that was crazy. "Do you really think Luffy's shadow will let us feed him salt?" He tried to counter back. Franky and I looked at him that clearly said otherwise. "Oh. Unless we can cook him a piece of meat with a lot of salt." He whacked himself in the head at that.

That didn't seem like a bad plan. Our captain would fall for something like that especially if meat was involved. "Oi Cook!" I yelled.

He was lying in the ground. "What Marimo! I was about to save Nami and then Luffy's shadow came and stopped me. Then, the invisible guy took her away while I was trying to avoid that."

Nami was still in danger, but we have something more important to worry about. Luffy's life was in danger. "Think you can cook some salty meat for Luffy's shadow?" I said.

"What do you take me for? That can be done in 10 minutes. Assuming we have enough meat." Cook said.

"Sanji. Let's sneak to the kitchen. Zoro, Franky, Brook, be careful." Yuuto said. He was going to help the cook.

As they tried to make their way, Oars blocked their path.

As if it was going to be that easy.

"As if cooking was going to help us defeat the enemy." I said. Even though this was Luffy who loved to eat, it wasn't like we would be saved because of our stupid cook's ability to make decent food.

Sanji, Yuuto, and Franky gave me a look that said normally it wouldn't. But this is Luffy. I sighed agreeing that Luffy wasn't the most conventional captain. "I guess we'll do it the good old fashioned way." Yuuto breathed out. "Give me a five minute break." Yuuto rarely got tired in all the fights I've seen him. He then hid a little bit.

I saw Oars go after Usopp, Chopper and Robin who were up in the manor. I ran and jumped in the air to block him. He saw me and punched me high in the air.

I heard some gunfire from Franky who had jumped to a nearby roof. I don't know where Brook went. Oars went after him and brought Franky down.

As I was falling, I was soon caught by a bunch of hands. I was about 5 meters away from the ground. I looked at Robin. "Thanks!"

Oars noticed them and threw a building at them. Robin stopped using her ability and I fell.

We all gradually got up. This was going to be a tough battle. I put on my headband. "You shouldn't underestimate your crew Luffy." I said.

He looked at us. "You're pretty strong tiny pirates. Shishishishi"

"Seeing him move like Luffy is a big surprise" I said.

"He's not really suited to be the pirate king." Robin responded to that.

"He must have a weak point." Chopper noticed.

"He does. I'm sure he must have stitches for a reason." Yuuto came out. That break seemed to have helped him.

"How to take him down. I've got tons of ideas." Franky mentioned. We looked at him. "Tactics 15!"

Franky then ran to me and Sanji. He got on top of us and forced us to hold his legs. Chopper jumped on top of his head as a helmet. Usopp and Yuuto became his arms.

Usopp, Chopper, and Franky cried out. "Giant Robot Warrior Big Emperor!"

Chopper then noticed something. "Wait. We don't have wings!" Who was going to be our wings?

Franky then asked. "Robin, what are you doing? Latch onto me and become our wings. Hurry!"

"As a person, I'm embarrassed." Came the reply.

Oars gave us a look. "Why did you stop? I wanted to see it." He then punched us. Yuuto had already gotten off. Me and swirly brow ducked.

"I can't believe I was forced to do that." Yuuto mentioned.

"How dumb! Why did I let them do that." I cried out. That was not cool to do.

"Robin-chan, I would have liked to see you dock with us!" Sanji cried out. I snarled. He sounded so annoying saying something like that. Women can just be as strong as men.

"Please. Never mention docking again." Robin said to them.

I grabbed some of the nun chucks Franky made earlier. I was going to stop Luffy's zombie. "Robin." I called out. "I'll get his left arm. You lock his joints." We made eye contact as if she knew what I was going for.

"Understood!" She got ready.

Yuuto punched Oars' knees to make him stumble a little bit and jumped in the air. Oars tried to grab him, but Yuuto kept using Geppo to go higher and higher. When Oars jumped, Usopp fired some oil around where he would land causing him to slip. Sanji kicked me up and I slammed the nun chucks toward his left arm. Robin bound his left arm behind him so he couldn't attack me and lose his balance. He started to fall.

Franky and Chopper then did some stair building and then punched Oars together.

 **Super Frapper Gong**

Sanji then came and kicked his leg so that he could fall.

 **Anti-manner Kick Course**

That plan worked a lot better than whatever Tactics 15 was going to do seeing that we actually got him down.

He then started yelling. "Now you've got me mad! I'll send you flying." He yelled. We braced ourselves for his attack. "Crap. My horns are stuck!"

All of us looked at him evilly.

Oars started screaming.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

I woke up and was terrified. Some guy was trying to kiss me.

"Ah!" I screamed in front of his face.

"Oh, you're awake. Give it up. With this kiss, you will become my wife." It was that pervert.

"I told you no already. You invisible perverted animal. I'm not ready for this. I still want to go on adventures." I really did want to go on adventures. If I got married, I wouldn't be able to do that.

"Be silent and rejoice. You'll become the graveyard king's wife." That didn't sound good.

"What no!" I refused. I don't want to rule over dead people. That sounds lame and I wouldn't be rich.

Then someone jumped in. It was Lola. She looked at me furiously. "Namizou! How dare you steal my man! You were lying about supporting me weren't you. You were trying to steal away my dear Ab the entire time." She looked at me and I felt guilty.

"Wait Lola. I was unconscious. I have no idea what's… Ah." I saw that I was wearing a wedding dress. It was pretty, but a little big on me. I noticed she was also wearing one. "Why are you wearing a wedding dress? Yours is lovely by the way."

"No. It's not lovely at all you traitor." She got her swords out, and I started running away.

"Lola, on top of barging in and ruining the ceremony, what are you doing to my bride?" my kidnapper asked.

"Shut up, let's get married!" Lola ignored his question. I slowly backed away.

"I refuse." came the curt reply.

"Oh. That's right my dear Ab. You don't know. Her real name is Namizou and she's actually a man." I put my hands up in shock. I forgot I told her that, and she believed me.

I looked at the pervert. He started "But when I saw her in the shower..." He did look at me.

Luckily, Lola interrupted. "Get out of here Namizou!" She turned to me.

She tried to cut me but missed badly. "Stop Lola!" I cried out. She's not hitting me. I looked at her and she winked at me. She was helping me.

Lola whispered. "Run Nami! I came to help you my friend!" I was touched.

She then turned around and tried to kiss him. As I ran back, I saw a blast strike her. "Lola!" I stopped running and got out my climatact that was conveniently place in my dress. I let out a couple thunder clouds.

Franky had modified it so it would be stronger than before.

As he approached me, I struck him with my climatact. He fell down. If I had known he was that weak, I would have tried to fight him like that earlier. I saw Lola by the side and ran to her. "Lola, thank you for coming to help me!"

She coughed. "What are you saying Namizou? We're friends." I was touched by her kindness. Even though I tricked her, she was willing to defend me.

"I was scared, and I lied to you! I'm really sorry. I'm actually a woman." I confessed, ready to have her yell at me.

"You fool. I knew all along. More importantly my dear Ab can't resist now." She got up. She was tough. "You're going to be a groom Absalom." I giggled at that. It was hard to stop a woman in love.

"I'm going to run and see if I can find my friends." I decided to run in case more trouble happens. I felt that my friends were in danger if they had trouble finding me. I knew all of them would try and rescue me as soon as possible. "I'll see you later." That meant they were fighting really strong opponents.

"Wait! Your friend Luffy." I gasped. What happened? "His shadow was just implanted into a special giant zombie rampaging around the town." I breathed a sigh of relief. He was still alive. I gave my thanks and ran out.

I ran out the hall way into another corner. As I ran, I noticed another another hallway and followed along.

I found Luffy unconscious. I quietly walked up to him in case of another enemy. "Luffy?" I whispered. I looked more closely. I then heard a faint snore. He was sleeping at a time like this?

I hit him as hard as I could. He didn't move. Weird, normally that could wake him up. I looked more closely and saw his shadow got taken like Lola said. I grimaced that's not good. I looked around and saw no one. I blushed.

I remember reading a story about Sleeping Beauty. Maybe I could kiss him and that would wake him up? I looked around again.

Maybe, it could work. I slowly leaned toward him and closed my eyes. When I was about 2 centimeters away from him, I suddenly pulled back. It didn't feel right. What if he woke up while I was kissing him?

Deciding not to take the risk, I tried to come up with another idea and thought what was the next thing that would actually wake him up remembering what we should do in case Luffy was angry at us.

"Luffy, I brought you meat!"

He slowly stirred. "Nami… meat..." I sighed. Meat would be the only thing that could wake him up. He then really woke up realizing the whole situation. "That bastard! Making my shadow..." He then looked around and noticed me. "Oh hey Nami! Wow you're wearing a wedding dress!" He then paused. "Are you getting married?" He then had a confused look on his face.

I had almost forgotten what I was wearing. I blushed at the thought that I was about to kiss him while wearing this. Maybe the wedding dress was subtly making me act like that. I sighed. "No."

He breathed out. "Good." I looked at him. He didn't want me to get married? "If you got married, that would mean you wouldn't be our navigator anymore." He gave a nervous laugh.

I smiled at him. I wanted to think more about what he said but that was going to give me false hope. He wasn't the type to mean anything else by that. "Yeah. That's probably true." I said weakly. He gave me an intense stare that I couldn't help but turn away from it.

"Ah. I got distracted. I need to beat Moriah and get the shadows back." He said suddenly.

"Do you know where your shadow is?"

"No."

"Well. He's a giant from what I heard."

"That's so cool!" We then heard a giant yell that sounded like it was in pain "Oh. Nami, let's go help our crew."

"I can't fight like this. Let me change back at the ship." Even though I didn't pick this dress, this was still a nice wedding dress that I didn't want to ruin.

"How about I drop you off close to the ship? Our crew can handle it." He bent down a little bit.

"What?" He motioned me to come on, and I immediately put my hands around his neck. I decided not to fight against him remembering how comfortable I felt last time.

He started running and asked. "Where's the ship?" I guided him. This was a very comfortable position. I tried to imagine how we looked like right now. Even though I was dressed very formal, Luffy taking me back to the ship dressed in his red cardigan seemed how it would work. As we made our way back, he stopped. "Nami. I should help the crew now." I nodded and I got off gently.

A part of me wanted to hug Luffy but I couldn't. "Luffy." I said. He looked at me. "Be careful." He nodded and ran off.

I quickly got on the ship and changed clothes. As I saw the wedding dress, I decided to keep it for the memories.

As I made my way out, I saw a girl and a bunch of zombies coming with treasure. I smiled. I could ambush them by making my clouds. As I got ready to fight, a large man appeared in front of them.

I hid behind the edge of the ship. They were about 40 meters away from me.

"He's one of the Shichibukai! The tyrant Bartholomew Kuma!" The girl shouted.

I gasped in shock. We were dealing with two Shichibukai. Just our luck. I looked over. I heard some part of the conversation because it got quiet. I heard something about vacation, running away, losing to terrifying cockroaches, and a bunch of other stuff. All of a sudden, as it seemed she was about to attack, she disappeared. The zombies then ran away.

I hid behind the ship. Please don't notice me. A voice cried. "Come out 'Cat Thief' Nami." I stood up. He suddenly got behind me. "Is it true that Monkey D. Luffy has a brother?" Was I going to disappear like that girl? I nodded. "I see it was true." He then walked away.

"Are you here for Luffy?" I asked.

"What I do is up to me." He said.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Either way, I need to warn Luffy and the others. I quickly ran out to meet them.

* * *

 **Zoro POV**

After Oars got unstuck, we retreated. I looked at everyone. We could keep fighting except Yuuto. Yuuto looked very tired.

Yuuto then gave a sigh. "I can't keep going on the front line anymore. I'm going to have to fight from long range. That zombie hurt me pretty good. Zoro and Sanji, You guys have to be our only frontline attackers. Everyone else should attack from a distance."

Usopp said, "We should stall. If Luffy beats Moriah, then everyone's shadows will return. There's no need for all of us to get hurt." I put my sword down. That would normally work but...

"I have plenty of faith in Luffy, but he can't do everything. All the people that Brook mentioned here have abilities that are tricky that would outsmart our captain." Where was Brook anyway? I could only hope that Luffy was awake.

Cook and Yuuto nodded. Robin voiced her agreement. Yuuto mentioned. "I can still sense Luffy. He's awake and moving. I'm not sure what he's doing. He's with other people."

"Oi Yuuto. I unlocked Observation Haki! Think you can help me do what you do?" Sanji cried out. Yuuto nodded. I growled hearing that cook unlocked Observation Haki. I needed to prove that I was stronger than him by unlocking that before he unlocks armament Haki.

Just then we heard a laugh from Oars' stomach. An unfamiliar voice called out. "Well. Look at what we have here. All of the other Strawhats."

Who was that? Yuuto pointed. "That must be Moriah. He's inside his stomach."

"I guess both of our targets are here." I said.

"We have to do this now. Usopp. Go get us some more salt." Yuuto ordered.

"Oars crush the mansion door." This was not good.

"He's got brains now too." Cook muttered. Did we have enough salt?

"Sorry for being late." I smiled. That was Brook. "I thought a large amount of salt would be necessary for us to join the party so I got it. I also got some milk for myself." Yuuto shook his head. I wanted to smack him for joking around like that.

"We need to get that salt into his body." I ordered.

"You think I'm going to let you guys put salt into my slave. Think again. I'll show you my worst nightmare." Moriah warned.

"I will fight by your side. I will do my best." Brook said.

Usopp got ready. "Franky! Yuuto! Some fire please!"

Franky blew some fire and Yuuto kicked some fire from his dials while Usopp fired a bullet.

 **Hi No Tori Boshi!**

It was a larger fire bird than the ones I've seen them practice before. "Fire's not going to work too much. He can't feel the pain." Yuuto said. "We need to immobilize him and Moriah." I nodded.

Chopper gave me a boost and I cut a nearby building. Sanji then kicked the pieces toward Oars. Oars punched the pieces back.

"Yuuto!" Franky called out. Yuuto nodded and threw Franky up in the air toward Moriah. "Eat my mortar!" Franky yelled when he was about 10 meters away from him.

Just as he fired, Oars dodged. As Franky continued to zoom past, Oars kicked behind him.

"Franky!" We all yelled. Oars was about to finish him off when we saw a dark cloud.

 **Thunderbolt Tempo!**

That brought him down. But only for a little bit.

Sanji then yelled something. Nami yelled back, exposing her position. Oars looked at her and looked like he was going to punch her.

"Don't tell me he's going to stretch!" I could hear Nami cry out.

"Usopp. Get Franky to a safe position while we have time!" I wasn't too worried about Nami. Nami was far away and safe.

However, his arm stretched further and hit where Nami was. I cursed myself for jinxing it. Luckily, Nami was caught by Robin. "I'm fine." Nami called out. I breathed in relief. "Where's Luffy? I thought he ran ahead of me. Don't tell me he got lost!" She yelled angrily.

"Don't know. But he's still conscious. We need to get rid of Moriah! He must be making Oars stretch like Luffy now." Yuuto analyzed. Moriah laughed.

"That's right! I'm manipulating his shadow. My shadow can change and the body has to match it." He explained. Oars then tried to knock us down. We scattered.

I was with Robin and Yuuto. "His body must have a weakpoint for us to focus." Yuuto thought out loud. "Chopper. Can you see a weakpoint in his body?" He yelled.

Chopper nodded. "That right arm looks like it was stitched. I'll look at it more closely at what it is."

"Everyone. If we can't purify him, we aim for the right arm then!" I shouted. We nodded. If we can break his right arm or stop him from using that, that can help a lot.

Brook yelled. "I have an idea." He explained his idea. Sanji and I would distract Oars in the meantime to execute the plan.

Usopp set up a large rubber band. Robin attached her hands around Brook to give him an extra spin. Nami set up a dark cloud with lightning. Yuuto also used some of his electricity in his dials and helped shock the clouds.

Brook was soon fired and spun through the cloud. He kept spinning and pierced through Oars' right arm.

 **Gavotte Bond Avant**

I quickly attacked Oars not to give him any room to recover.

 **Nitouryu Nigiri Tourou**

Oars looked at me but looked at Brook afterward. He then tried to kick him but Usopp fired at him.

Annoyed, Oars tried to stretch but failed.

What was happening?

I looked and saw Robin.

 **Ochenta Fleur. Cuatro Manos.**

Moriah was stuck in Robin's hold and couldn't move. Yuuto moved closer to her as if to protect her.

Moriah yelled, "You think this can stop me?" He then summoned a bunch of bats that went toward Yuuto and Robin. Yuuto punched as many bats as he could but some went through. That loosened a little bit of Robin's hold.

Sanji was about to run to help protect Robin. I wanted to go as well, but at least two of us needed to deal with Oars. Yuuto thought the same. "Sanji! Watch out!" He yelled. Sanji looked and saw Oars about to kick him. Sanji dodged but that was enough time for Robin to be hit by the some of the incoming bats.

Just then a shadow was appearing behind Robin. "Nami, Usopp, something's behind Robin!" I yelled.

Nami and Usopp turned around. Yuuto had already ran back and punched Moriah's shadow. However, he kept going past him as the shadow let him go through past forward.

Moriah suddenly appeared in place of the shadow. I cursed inwardly. It seemed that he had the ability to swap places with his shadow as well. "I'll take both of your shadows!" Moriah cut both of their shadows, and Yuuto and Robin were unconscious. Nami and Usopp fired their attacks on him.

It was too late. He retreated back to his position in the stomach.

Shoot, 3 of us were down for good. Oars tried to attack Nami and Usopp but thankfully Sanji blocked the attack.

Suddenly, Chopper yelled. "There are signs of frostbite around the right arm's joint! We should be able to disable his power. It's not his arm." He was somehow able to hide himself on Oars.

Oars tried to smack Chopper on his arm. Thankfully, we saw Chopper transform and hide in Oars' fist. Then, he jumped up. Sanji also followed. Sanji kicked Chopper so he could attack the point that they mentioned.

I saw Chopper hit Oars' joint, but that wasn't enough. Oars was still standing. "You guys!" I noticed Oars about to start his counterattack. "Get out the way!" As they started falling down, Oars punched both of them.

I heard both of them fall to the ground. There were 3 or 4 of us still conscious. It was just me, Usopp, and Nami left for sure. I wasn't sure if Brook was conscious to help us.

"Usopp!" I needed to act now. "I'll create an opening." I started running and jumped on top of Oars' hand. I started running toward his upper body and caused as many cuts as I could. I jumped off and stood ready to block his incoming attack. He kneed me, but my swords caught the blunt of the attack.

Usopp then fired some salt into the body. As I landed on the ground, I smiled. We got Luffy's shadow back. Now we just have to fight Moriah. Now that shadow that's appearing from Oar's mouth will go back to Luffy.

Wait! That's actually Moriah's shadow. It threw it back to Usopp. I struggled to get up knowing that I had to hurry.

"Man. I ran out of saltwater bullets from all those zombies earlier. If I had them, that shadow wouldn't have gotten a hold on that salt." Usopp lamented out loud.

Oars then went after Usopp and punched him. Just as it got to Nami, it hesitated a bit.

Moriah yelled. "What are you doing? Crush her Oars!"

Oars said a little quietly. "Yes Master!" He started getting ready to stomp on her.

We heard another voice. "Hey Giant guy! Who are you trying to stomp on?" I smiled. It's Luffy. He looks different, but it's Luffy. I could trust my captain to hold his own while I get everyone else to be conscious again.

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

I had rescued Nami from my shadow. It made me a little angry that my shadow had hurt my entire crew. It felt that I was the one who actually hurt them.

I put Nami on the floor. She looked at me and asked "Luffy? Are you ok? You look different."

"I'm fine." I replied back. I needed to focus to control all the many shadows in my body. According to the other victims I found, I only had 3 more minutes. They told me I wasted 7 minutes coming here.

My shadow's punch came toward us. "I'm sure you know but your shadow's in that zombie. It has your attacks and can stretch." I nodded acknowledging what Nami was telling me. I stopped it with one hand. I then leaped forward and punched the zombie's face.

I need to finish this fast. I didn't have much time because of what they told me. As the giant recovered, I grabbed his leg and slammed him down.

Lying on the ground, he tried punching me, but I quickly jumped. The punch was slower than normal.

As I descended down, I got ready for an attack. He had stood up and I tried to attack his skull.

 **Gomu Gomu Bazooka**

My bazzoka met with both of the giant's arms. He also used a similar technique I had used. He even copied the same motion.

The force pushed me back as I kept descending down. The same force also stumbled my giant a little. I saw Leek face and quickly punched him in the stomach before I landed on the ground. Taking this opportunity, I immediately took the time to go Gear 2 and tried to finish this as soon as possible.

 **Jet Gatling!**

My shadow and Moriah kept up with my barrage in the beginning but eventually couldn't keep up with all of them. Eventually, they both fell. I then felt my shadows leave me. I panted on the floor but knew the fight was not over yet.

"Luffy!" I looked and saw Zoro and Robin. "We need to give him one more final attack. You have your entire crew helping you this time." Zoro said what I was thinking. I nodded. This enemy was too tough for me to fight alone right now.

"Robin!" I shouted. I heard her footsteps behind me. "I want to get higher." We had used her abilities as stairs before playing on the ship.

She nodded. "I'll make steps for you then."

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Brook appeared. I nodded. I motioned that he was with me.

Nami cried out. "Luffy! Everyone is ready to help out." I nodded. Nami had started out making rain clouds raining on Oars. Yuuto then appeared and struck Oars' right arm. I saw some electricity come out of Yuuto. He then quickly jumped off.

 **Coup de Vent!**

I saw Franky and Usopp release a cannon that froze Oars' feet. Meanwhile, Robin made feet as stairs for us to climb on top.

As I got ready to be thrown by Brook, Sanji kicked a chain that got on Oars' upper body. Zoro then made an air slice that made Oars tighten his stomach. Chopper then told Sanji to straighten Oars' back.

As I went to gear 3, I looked and saw how my crew worked together. Brook then threw me when I was ready.

As I got ready to use my Gear 3 bazooka, Oars could only move his left arm to try and block it.

"We've been focusing on your right arm that it wasn't going to move sooner or later." Yuuto added.

 **Giant Bazooka!**

I laid on the floor. I felt that I cracked his bones.

I then shrunk and saw Moriah get up.

"Release our shadows!" asked the woman who helped me.

Moriah ignored her. "Strawhat. How dare you. You've made a mess of my Thriller Bark."

"That's because you got in the way of our adventure. Give our shadows back before the sun rises."

"If you continue your adventure, the only thing awaiting you is death. You're stronger than the average rookie. I'll give you that. But the New World is still far out of your reach." I looked at him. Yuuto was lying on the floor, trying to catch his breath, but I could tell that he agreed with him. "It looks like you gathered a strong crew. But you're going to lose it all." I glared at him. There was no way I was going to lose my nakama. We were strong enough. That's how we were able to beat you and my shadow. "I'll tell you from my experience. I gathered a strong crew like yours. I lost them because they were alive!"

I growled at that. What was the point of having a dead crew? "If I start with zombies who are dead, then I have nothing to lose. Zombies are immortal."

 **Shadow's Asgard**

"Strawhat. You took 100 shadows?" I nodded at that. "Then I will take 1000." He then struck around my area.

I looked behind me and saw my crew. They were all resting except Zoro. They must have been fighting hard to get my shadow back.

Zoro stated. "We leave the rest to you captain." I nodded at that. I was going to give my crew a break.

"Moriah! You want a nightmare. You got one." Leave everything to me guys. Moriah is going to receive a nightmare for hurting all of you guys. I wasn't going to lose so easily this time. I prepared to go to gear second.

Moriah did strike at me. I took the hit, but it didn't hurt too bad. He was also getting tired. To control so many shadows takes a lot of strength. I then punched him.

 **Jet Bazooka!**

I saw some shadows go out. I smiled realizing that with so many shadows it was even hard for him to control them. I then jumped in the air. Moriah had recovered and smacked me in the building. I felt him summon shadow bats and they struck at me. I grunted but I refused to go down. I looked at my crew and motioned that I was going to breathe air into my bones.

"That's really reckless Luffy!" Chopper added. He knew how dangerous it was. However, my life doesn't matter as long as my nakama are safe.

"You sure you should do that?" Franky asked. Even though he joined the crew, he realized how all of us fought and about my limits.

I focused toward Yuuto for permission. He knew whether this was actually needed because he could tell the strength levels. Yuuto had looked at me and gave a sigh and nodded. He warned me not to do this unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was. I knew I couldn't beat him any other way.

 **Giant Bazooka!**

Using that technique really put a strain on my body. When I saw Moriah finally knocked out and return everyone's shadows, I then let myself go to sleep.

* * *

 **Zoro POV**

We went to Luffy. Yuuto and Robin looked relieved that they got their shadows back.

"Didn't Luffy shrink earlier?" I asked.

"When he uses the giant gear, he shrinks for the same amount of time he used it for." Chopper asked. He and Yuuto had been working with Luffy the most on this technique.

"Isn't this fighting style too hard on Luffy? If the enemies we face from now on are stronger, he's going to keep being reckless." Usopp added deep in thought.

"They are." Yuuto added. We looked at him. "This has been the hardest fight I've had with you guys. Unfortunately," he paused. "This isn't the hardest fight I've ever had since the New World."

I narrowed my eyes. We weren't ready for the future battles if Yuuto admitted that this wasn't the hardest fight he had. This was definitely the toughest fight I had if I needed everyone's help. We needed to get stronger.

"Do we continue our journey?" Usopp asked.

Yuuto gave a sigh. "That's up to Luffy to decide." What he said was true. The captain decides where to go, not us.

We all kept quiet at that. In that moment, I felt that we all made a solemn vow to get stronger.

The scary thing is Yuuto had been really hard on everyone making sure we all train to prepare us for this. If we continued this way, we were going to be wiped out.

We were soon interrupted by a group of people. They bowed before us.

"Everyone in the Thriller Bark Victims' group will never forget this debt. Thank you very much!" A woman who I assumed to be the leader said.

Nami suddenly gasped. Robin looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something important. It's really bad. There's a…." She looked frightened. She looked up. "He's here. Another Shichibukai."

Yuuto looked and saw. "Crap. It's Bartholomew Kuma 'The Tyrant'. He's stronger than Moriah." Yuuto struggled to get up. "I'm at my limit." We then saw Kuma talk to a den-den mushi. We heard the government order to dispose of us.

"You guys get back. I'll deal with this." If the captain wasn't here, then it was my responsibility to take care of the crew.

"He ate the Nikyu-Nikyu fruit." Yuuto added. We all looked at him. That sounded harmless. "He can repel anything with that power."

Bartholomew Kuma then appeared. The group of people tried to attack him but lost to a simple touch.

"Pirate Hunter Zoro. Let's start with you!" He asked.

"Everyone get back. He wants me. Didn't you hear him?" I barked out so the others wouldn't feel the need to intervene. I knew everyone was at their limit. I stared at him face to face.

Kuma added. "I heard Strawhat Luffy has gathered a number of skilled crew members." I looked at him seriously.

I heard a woman yell. "This isn't the time to be flattered!" I didn't look back not wanting to lose my guard against my enemy. I could only trust Yuuto and Robin to remain serious at this.

"Wait Zoro! That's too reckless. You're too beaten up right now!" Usopp yelled.

"That's the way the world is. If you make excuses, will someone come and save you? If I die here, that's just my limit as a man"

 **Nitouryuu Rashomon**

I didn't hit him at all. I looked behind and saw he wasn't there. Where was he? I then noticed his shadow.

I luckily dodged it in time and saw a giant paw print in the ground where I once stood. Is he repelling the air to form a cannon? I then dodged another attack.

"Look. Even though Kuma has hardly done anything, Zoro's breathing that hard." Usopp stated. Do you have any idea how strong he is?

"Zoro's also tired like the rest of us." Franky added.

Yuuto panted out. "He's facing a Schibukai after all."

I then did a 72 pound cannon. Kuma deflected it.

"He repelled Zoro's attack with his bare hands! How is that possible?" Nami cried out. I wish my crewmates would stop talking and let me concentrate.

Kuma then showed his paws to my crew.

"That looks so gentle. Maybe he's compassionate and not a big deal after all." Franky added. Kuma narrowed his eyes and fired something at him. Franky went down.

"Hey. This is between me and you" I told him. He didn't need to endanger the rest of my crew. That attack must be strong to go through Franky's body.

He then went to a sumo stance. "Well then. I guess your time is up."

 **Swift Pad Cannon**

I danced around all of those shots. I was about to slice him with my three swords. He moved an inch but then pushed me forward. I was out of breath. Kuma went close to me. I braced myself for what he was about to do.

Forunately. cook and Yuuto run up to Kuma. Cook kicked his face while Yuuto punched his arm.

This was a duel between us. "Who asked both of you to..." I stopped. Sanji put his hands on his foot, showing that hurt him while Yuuto put his arm away.

"I can't believe that hurt me." Yuuto whispered. "I thought seastone and the electricity would have help too."

"Black Leg Sanji and the Scheming Fox." He stated. I noticed that both of those attacks didn't move him an inch. To face both attacks even in my crew's state showed tough he was.

"What's with that hardness?" Sanji asked still writhing in pain.

 **Hi No Tori Boshi**

Usopp fired his bullet and Kuma just took it with his paw and fired back at him. Kuma then compressed the air.

"He's applying pressure to a ball of air. If it's been compressed that much..." Nami said.

"It would create a giant shockwave. Like a bomb." Robin finished.

"The government's order was to completely destroy you all, but I will spare your lives." I looked at him. There's a catch. There's always a catch in these situations. "In exchange, I'll be taking Strawhat Luffy."

We all shouted without a moment's hesitation. "Hell no!"

"That's a pity." He then released his ball.

 **Ursus Shock**

I ran to hide in the rubble near Luffy. I was lucky to still be conscious. I was going to try and catch Kuma off guard.

As Kuma went closer to Luffy, that's when I struck him.

 **Shishi sonson.**

I smiled knowing that I cut him. I looked behind. He was still standing.

"You're a cyborg?" I said in shock realizing his arm was part metal.

He then fired something from his mouth. I dodged.

He then started talking as we had some distance away from each other. "I suppose that's true. I'm called a Pacifista. An incomplete human weapon developed by the government. I hope your friend doesn't go through this fate."

I was at my limit and focused at what was going on. "No matter what… you intend to take Luffy's head."

Kuma nodded. "That is the most I'm willing to do."

"All right. I'll give you someone's head." I paused. I smiled, remembering what I told Luffy when I joined his crew.

" _I'm going to become the world's Greatest Swordsman. If you do something that ends up in the way of my goal, I will have you cut your stomach open." [4]_

"Please. Take my life instead." I bowed down. Here I was, doing something in the way of my goal because of him. "Be satisfied with that." I am completely at Kuma's mercy. "I can't say my name is notorious yet. But if you think of it as the head of the man who will become the Greatest Swordsman in the world, there shouldn't be any problem."

Here I was. A couple days ago, I lost my sword to save my nakama. Now, I'm giving up my life to protect them. I'm sure I wouldn't have done this before I met them.

"You have such an ambition." He noted, judging me. "And yet. You're saying that you're willing to die in this man's place?"

"Right now, there's no other way to save this crew. If I can't protect my captain, then my ambition means nothing." The world's Greatest Swordsman should be strong enough to be able to protect both his captain and his goal. I glared at him knowing that death was approaching me. "Luffy is the man who will become Pirate King!"

"Hold on a second." I looked up. It was our stupid cook struggling to walk over.

"If you die, what'll happen? What happened to your ambition moron?"

"Hey!"

He ignored me. "Hey Giant Guy. Don't take this marimo swordsman's. Take mine instead. The marine might not think much of me now, but out of everyone in this crew, the person who's going to cause the most trouble for you is me. Black Leg Sanji."

I glared at him. He was talking nonsense.

"Tell everyone to take care. I'm sorry but you'll have to find another cook." That's why we need you. I got up and punched him in the stomach. He grabbed onto me before he fell unconscious.

No Sanji. This is my responsibility not yours.

"This is my last request." I face Kuma again now that he was out the way.

"If I lay a hand on 'Strawat' after this, I would be humiliated." He acknowledged that.

"You have my appreciation." There was some honor in what he was doing.

"Rest assured. I'll keep my promise. But you… I'll show you what hell looks like." He grabbed my captain. I looked. He repelled something from Luffy. "What I repelled from his body was all his pain and fatigue. This is all the damage accumulated during his time."

I looked on. It was a very big paw. "If you want to take his place, then you must take his pain as well." I nodded. I get to really experience my captain's burden. "Have a taste." A small part of it came to me.

I fell down yelling in excruciating pain. The only thing that I can think of that hurt more was when Mihawk slashed me.

"How was it?" He asked in a way as if that didn't hurt.

I panted still trying to catch my breath. I was starting to realize Luffy's burden of taking care this entire crew and the enemies he had to face. "Just let me go somewhere else." That way my crew wouldn't find me.

As we went to a place far enough, I pulled myself in ready to experience what Luffy went through.

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

I woke up hearing Luffy being so cheerful. "Look! My body feels so light. I wonder why." I looked around and saw the rest of the crew except Zoro. The rest of the crew got up.

There's no way he could be fine after all that happened. Where did he go?

I started running to find him. I heard someone follow me. It was Yuuto.

"Sanji. Zoro is this way! We need to find him fast."

I followed him. "There he is!" I breathed a sigh of relief. He was still standing. As we approached him, "Why the hell did you knock me out? Where's the Shichibukai?" I then looked at the ground. There was so much blood.

I looked at Zoro more closely. "Are you alive?" He was bleeding a lot.

"He is." Yuuto nodded. "I can sense him. What happened here?" What the hell happened?

He looked with bloodshot eyes and told us in a calm mannder. "Nothing happened." [5]

* * *

[1] And then I stopped writing Usopp's part. The way I continued was really similar to canon and showed no development in my opinion.

That shows how much I need to think about developing Usopp better.

[2] Akira Yuki the fighter from Virtua Fighter

[3] I did mention in the previous chapter that Yuuto had electric dials so he could shock his enemies and it was good timing.

Let me know what theories you guys may have about Yuuto's backstory. Who knows maybe you're right.

[4]

It's a quote when Zoro joined Luffy.

[5]

It was at this moment that lots of people became Zoro fan boys for good reasons. That was definitely a badass moment.

I suppose a question that may come up is whether Yuuto would have taken the burden. He would have. However, if you notice, I didn't make him conscious after Kuma attacked with his Ursa shock. The reason for that is that Yuuto had the hardest fight earlier because he sacrificed his body on purpose in his fight so he took more damage than normal.

If you are annoyed that I wrote Nami as a girl with a serious "crush", I'm slightly annoyed too. It's just that the direction I have for Nami is that this is for her development will be linked. She will not end up as a some "useless heroine whose only purpose is to serve as the love interest." She will have fights and roles in special parts that I have planned in the story.

I hope that you remember that she shined a little bit by beating Kalifa, subduing Monster Chopper, and navigating through Enies Lobby in my story. Keep in mind she does play a very important role in WCI and will do so in my version. Not counting Luffy, I feel that Nami was the overall and consistent MVP of WCI despite Brook and Sanji having "gamewinner" moments.

I do hope that I am writing proper character development. While rereading Thriller Bark, I feel, that outside of Brook, Zoro, Nami, and Chopper had some actual development in the actual story.

I don't know when I will update again. I'm thinking of not working on the fanfic for a couple days as a break and then coming back to it later. I do have the next chapter outlined out which is something I had planned for a while. You'll see why once I release the chapter. I had the idea since late October/early November and I've definitely made hints about it before. What happens in the next chapter is not in manga or the anime. (I don't really watch the anime a lot but I'm sure the anime didn't do something like this)

A hint for the next chapter that I will give is consider the talents of the Straw Hat crew in my story.

It's something I really looked forward to writing for a while.

As always, leave a review about what you guys liked or disliked. Feel free to critique me about certain points; I appreciate feedback and criticism. Also, free leave a review if you have a guess what the next chapter is going to be like. Who knows even if you're wrong I may be able to use that as an idea.

Happy Holidays!


	26. Chapter 26 After Thriller Bark

Disclaimer: So during the Holidays I received many gifts.

No. One Piece was not one of those gifts nor did I receive any One Piece figures.

I do own a Roronoa Zoro key chain though.

Alright, so here comes what happens after Thriller Bark. I hope you guys like the part I made starting in the middle of the story. I made something happen before Sabody.

I had this chapter planned out for a long time since early November. You will see that there is a tie in to an earlier chapter.

I got the inspiration from an old tv series called Hustle.

After Thriller Bark

* * *

Same day when they all woke up

 **Nami POV**

We got on the ship to check to see if we could have a party. We were going to celebrate that we got everyone's shadow back.

Even though Zoro was critically injured, we knew that he would still want us to celebrate. He didn't want us to mope for him.

We had stolen all the treasure from Thriller Bark and put it on our ship. Once it was collected, I dived in the pool of gold. "This is better than Christmas." I sat on top of all the treasure.

I saw Luffy looking at something. "This armband is neat. I'm taking it." Curious, I looked at what he was holding; the blue armband didn't seem anything worthwhile.

I saw Usopp become afraid a little bit. "Hey, hey. If you take any treasure." I laughed at that. At least they knew how much I love treasure.

I told them. "It's fine. There aren't any gems. Consider it part of your share." I then looked at the woman who was standing nearby as if she wanted something. "But we aren't giving you guys a single cent." You didn't do anything to help us.

She gasped and raised her hands as if she was being misunderstood. "We wouldn't take anything from the ship of our saviors Namizou… Wait… Who's Namizou?" I looked surprised. That was the name I told Lola.

"Wait. Could you be Lola?" I asked randomly. That's the only possible way she would know that name.

She nodded. I smiled that it was Lola's shadow was reunited after all. "Oh. Did I say my name before? Have we met before?" I gave her a hug. To me, this was the same person as the zombie. After all, that zombie has the person's personality.

I released her from my hug. "I'm happy that we were able to meet again." She was probably confused. I went to the pile and grabbed at something. "Here, have some of the treasure."

She looked in shock at how I changed. "Is that ok?" I nodded yes. Anything for my friends.

Luffy, Usopp, and Yuuto went to the side and shouted. "Nami gave someone treasure!" They shouted as if the world was going to end at that.

I wasn't a greedy witch all the time. Just most of the time. Besides, they didn't understand. "Listen Lola..." I started talking with Lola about how we met.

* * *

 **Chopper POV**

I was examining Zoro with Robin's help. "His life was seriously in danger." I noted. He had too many wounds from the battle with Oars and Kuma. I didn't think he got hit on the chest or on the back that many times. "I've never seen him take so much damage before. What happened when we were knocked out?" I wondered out loud.

I feel that Zoro was protecting all of us when we were knocked out. The fact that he fought by himself and had this many wounds showed how strong the opponent was. Brook stayed quiet. Robin noted, "It's hard to believe that man left with things as they were."

I nodded. Did that man think all of us died from that? Were we that weak that we would die from his attack?

I remembered the conversation we had before that man came. The enemies coming up in the next part are going to be stronger.

Yuuto came over. "Is he fine?" He asked.

I looked at him also worried. "Yuuto. You shouldn't move as much also. Your injuries are the second worst out of all of us." When I made my checkup, he had a lot of cracked bones. He pushed some of his joints back into place on his own. I could tell because of the way those places swelled up.

"It's fine. The last time I was injured like this was at the New World though not as severe." He tried to comfort me. That wasn't comforting at all; if you haven't been heavily injured since the New World and you're one of the stronger ones, you know how dangerous that place is. "When me and Sanji found him, we were surprised that he was barely breathing."

I was sure me, Robin, and Brook looked worried hearing that. I continued applying more medicine to him even though I had done that already.

One of Lola's pirates who overheard our conversation ran up to us. "The truth is I saw what happened from the beginning to the end." He spoke. Another of Lola's pirates came over. Sanji took both of them away. Yuuto followed after them.

I felt a chill. Why did they both want to make it a secret?

I shook my head and looked at Zoro. Maybe, I need to learn how to control Monster Point, so Zoro or the crew doesn't get injured like that again.

The conversation I had with Yuuto at Water Seven came back with him recommending me to meditate to control that form.

After fighting Hogback, I learned something. It depends how we use our knowledge and talents. For example, Hogback used his medical knowledge to make zombies. Maybe I could learn how to control Monster Point and protect my crew.

I focused my attention on Zoro again. I breathed a sigh of relief. His condition was stable now. He would need to rest up for at least a week days. He also couldn't strain himself too much for 2 weeks. I was going to need someone else's help to restrain him.

I looked at Robin. She then nodded as if she knew something. "Robin. What is it?"

She looked at me. "Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out on my own. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I nodded. "Can you please lift him up temporarily? I need to see if I need to change the bandaids or apply some healing salve on his back." She nodded. I was grateful for Robin's help. Her ability was useful to make sure my patients could stay still and act to lift him up high enough for me to look at him closely.

As I finished checking on him, the two strangers came back. I asked them. "What were you about to say?" It sounded important to solve what happened with Zoro.

They froze a little and said. "It's not important. What's important is that everyone's alright." I looked at them confused because I was sure that's not what they said. They walked away and I noticed them twitching uncontrollably while Robin laughed at that.

What really happened?

* * *

 **Brook POV**

We had just started eating. I noticed a piano and walked toward it. I figured that I should play some music to help make it feel like a party.

As I sat down, Sanji walked toward me. "Hey didn't you play violin?"

"I can play all musical instruments." I looked around and whispered privately. "The truth is I also saw what you two did. The actions of you two moved me." I understood that they wanted to keep it a secret. I noticed Sanji became quiet. "Nakama sure are wonderful." I added. That crew had the same protectiveness I had with my old crew. If not, they were more protective than I was.

"There was no 'two of us.' I only made a fool of myself." He added. There was a sense of disappointment in his voice that he didn't offer himself.

I shook my head. "No. You also had the same resolution." Seeing the mood become a little gloomy. "How about a song? Any requests?" I should get started and really make this a party. A song is good way to think about something else.

He nodded. "How about-" I then began a personal favorite. "Weren't you taking requests?" He yelled. I silently laughed. That distracted himself from what he was thinking earlier.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hoho-ho

Going to deliver Binks' Sake  
Entrust your heart to the waves and sea breeze  
Even the setting sun revels beyond the tides  
And in the sky, the song of laughing birds

"Hey Brook!" Luffy came on top of the piano excitedly as we finished the first verse. "I know this song. Shanks used to sing this song."

I elaborated giving him some pirate history. "Every pirate sung this song. During the bad times. During the good times."

He nodded. "Are you going to become my nakama?"

I paused. I think it was time for me to move on from the Rumbar Pirates. I smiled. "Wait." I opened my skull and got out the tone dial of my crew's last recording. This was the way for me to move on and honor my former crew. I played it for them. The Rumbar Pirates' finale.

As we finished the recording, I reminisced. I inwardly made a promise.

Laboon. Can you wait for me?

I shouted after that inward promise. "I'm glad that I'm alive!" To have this opportunity to continue my journey and fulfill my promise. After a moment's pause, "I will join your crew as a musician."

I heard shouts of joy throughout the hall.

As I finished playing, I took out my former bounty. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am known as Dead Bones Brook. My nickname is 'Humming' Brook. I have a bounty of 33 million. From this day forward, I pledge my life to Strawhat Luffy. May I not be a burden to you guys."

At that, the entire crew except Zoro, Nami, and Robin threw me up in the air.

* * *

Two days later

 **Brook POV**

"Thank you Franky-san and Usopp-san!" I looked at before me.

This was a marvelous grave for the Rumbar Pirates. "There was no way for Thousand Sunny to take a large amount of bones." I added. We were about to leave.

"We'll go on ahead Brook! Take your time. We'll catch you on the ship." Franky left. I nodded respecting that they would give me some time alone to remember my friends.

I then played my violin to honor my fallen comrades and friends. As I played for five minutes, I heard a sword being stabbed to the ground.

It was Zoro.

"Are you all right now?" I asked knowing his wounds.

"Yeah I overslept." He responded. I looked at him considering the events. "While we're at it, please allow me to hold a service for the dead katana." He clapped his hands and started praying. This man was the man that got my shadow back. Not only that but also this man was willing to die for his captain.

It created an awkward atmosphere. "Ummm..." I let out.

He looked at me. "Hmm."

"Nothing." He was the type of man who didn't want to be praised for what he did. Because he saved me, I will respect his intentions and not tell anyone what I know. Not sure what to say, I quickly added "That's right. I have joined this crew." I looked at him curious as to what his reaction was.

He gave me a blank look. "Is that so? Guess you have bad luck." He smirked; I looked confused at him wondering if he was referring to what he just did. "So, we've got a pretty good crew?" He added and smiled at me showing his feeling about the crew.

I laughed. "Yohohoho. That's what I thought too." This crew was amazing and would be even better than the Rumbar Pirates. I proclaimed. "I'll give it my best until I die. But I'm already dead." He laughed at my joke with me.

At that, I felt a special bond form between us.

* * *

Same day

 **Nami POV**

We were about to part ways from Lola. The last couple days, it was nice to talk to another girl about relationships.

Don't get me wrong. I love talking with Robin. However, because she's been on the run, she isn't ideal to talk about relationships. She never really had a crush because she was always afraid of being hurt by someone else. However, I do feel that she has become slowly more open to the idea.

I can understand because it took me a long time for me to realize and admit that I loved being a Straw Hat pirate. To reach a next level of actually having a crush was something I would never consider.

Unfortunately, Lola didn't give me much advice. She mentioned that someone loved her but she couldn't bring herself to love him back. She felt sorry and actually ran away because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

I smiled sorrowfully at her.

When she finished recounting her story, she gave me a vivre card. She told me that it was her mother's vivre card that could help us out as we went to the New World. Her crew looked in shock at that.

I told her that we might have a paper like that. I remembered Ace got one from Luffy.

After we separated, I reminded Luffy about the vivre card. He took it out. It looked smaller than I remembered. Yuuto exclaimed. "Luffy, your brother's in danger." He was worried about how Luffy would feel.

I gasped in shock because I saw how close he was to his brother. "Luffy, do you want to help your brother?" I asked immediately.

"No. He'll be fine. He's stronger than me after all." He smiled confidently at that as if Ace would get out of the mess.

I looked over at him to double check. "Luffy are you sure?" I asked. If my sister was in danger, I would do anything to make sure she was safe.

"It's fine. Don't worry." Luffy reassured us.

More of us joined to convince Luffy otherwise. "Luffy-san, I don't mind taking an alternative route." Brook said. Our newest member got the sense of how important this was.

"Luffy, we don't mind taking a detour." Zoro added. He looked ready to fight and to help. How could he be ready to fight when he just had a near death experience with a Schibukai?

Luffy smiled that we were willing to help protect what he cared about. "No really. It's fine." It didn't seemed like he cared about it. "Ace hates to be looked down as if he were weak. The next time we meet, we'll be enemy pirates. For Ace, that's his adventure." Actually, he was respecting what Ace wanted to do. It was just like him to be selfless.

As a crew, we finally respected Luffy to have his way. However, I couldn't shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen.

* * *

That night

 **Franky POV**

I was on lookout duty with Brook. I didn't want to miss any sleep but everyone else deserved sleep more than I did. Zoro, and Yuuto deserved rest after the battles they had. Chopper and Robin were busy taking care of Zoro. Nami spends the whole day navigating with Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji taking turns helping on lookout during the day. Not to mention that Sanji still cooked for the crew so Luffy and Usopp ended up doing more.

If only I thought of putting a sensor or radar on the Thousand Sunny, then me and Brook wouldn't need to do this. [1]

I sighed. "It's nice that it's super quiet right Brook?" I decided to make some small talk with the newest member of the crew hoping to get to know him better.

"Yes it is Franky-san! I don't hear anything. Not that I have ears. Yohohoho!" I smiled politely, but that joke was became old after the first ten times you made it.

"Well, I hope nothing happens tonight." I warned. Not that anything normally happens.

Brook agreed. "Indeed. Our crew still needs rest from Thriller Bark." I nodded at that. Only Zoro seemed to not be able to move as well as before.

As if to curse our luck, we heard something fire from the sea. It sounded like a missile.

"What the?" I asked out loud.

The missile hit the side of the ship and released some gas. I activated a button for everyone to wake up.

Brook went ahead to the deck to see what was going on.

When I landed on the deck, I felt more tired than usual. I looked and saw Brook already asleep. I struggled to stay awake and realized this was sleeping gas.

Who would do this? Those were my last thoughts before I hit the floor.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I woke up with handcuffs on me. I was sitting in a chair in front of two people. A man with a scar on his chin and a woman with short curly blonde hair. I paid more attention toward the woman. She had light blue eyes and was wearing a peach dress. I looked away; she wasn't my type at all.

Realizing the position I was in with my mask off, I asked, "Where am I?" If I was lucky, maybe I still had some dye in my hair and some fake scars on my face. I looked at them. "Who are you people?" They weren't dressed like marines. I waited for their answer.

The woman began to speak. "The queen of pleasure would like the black fox to steal some diamonds from Plutus."

I narrowed my eyes. This wasn't like the Underworld's style. A bank was involved too. Seeing that I didn't respond, she continued. "We have your entire crew in custody. I believe you should listen to what we have to say."

At that, I tried to leave even with the handcuffs, but the man punched me when he saw me move, knocking me to the floor. I winced in pain. I should have reacted better.

"It really doesn't have to be like this. You really should listen to what we have to say." She continued impassively. She looked at her personal guard.

I didn't really have much of a choice. "Fine. Who exactly are you?" I got on my seat.

"Good. My name is Stussy, the new Queen of the pleasure district." I got that from the way she requested. Her guard walked back to her side. "As I was saying, we need you to steal diamonds from a bank in Ballywood kingdom." I looked at her. "We are currently at Ballywood kingdom." I nodded my head it was along the way to where we were going. "We have intel that one of the deposit boxes in Ballywood National Bank's vault is hiding a pirate's gems. We would like to obtain them." I narrowed my eyes at that. The underworld doesn't steal from pirates.

It's an unwritten code because the Underworld's business comes from the World Nobles and pirates. If the Underworld was found out stealing from pirates, pirates wouldn't trust them anymore. Pirates made up at least 70% of the Underworld's business.

"Alright. What's in it for me?" I asked seeing that I was in no position to bargain. This was the first time I worked for the Queen of pleasure. Whenever I worked with the Underworld, I normally kidnapped people for them to be sold as slaves or for organs usage or stole special material/resource from a specific site. I was not looking forward to this.

The Pleasure district focused on two things: drugs and prostitution. This couldn't be good. [2]

She smiled at that. "One, when you steal the gems, you are free to steal whatever else is in the vault. Two, you get all your crew mates back. There is quite a fortune for Luffy and Robin if they were given to the government." She ignored me and Zoro. We were worth more than Robin. Does that mean she knows about Robin's secret? That might be a mistake for me to think about.

"What about me? I'm wanted too. I'm worth more than Robin." I tried to gauge her reaction.

She remained calm but it was forced. "Yes, but your skillset is needed for this task." Stussy added coldly. She avoided saying the real reason.

"What makes you think I can do this?" I asked, trying to see how she presented the information.

She smiled and looked at me. "I talked with some people you met recently before. One said you would be perfect for the job." Who did I meet recently that would know her?

"You're not telling me who they are. Why?" She was being secretive for a reason.

"That's private information." She said.

"Fine. And you can't steal this yourself because..." I said. I needed to see what information I could get.

"You should know. The Underworld doesn't do this. If we were found out, we'd be losing an important partner." That was a half truth.

I sighed. That meant the potential partner was an important buyer. However, she wasn't telling me the full story. "Who's the pirate we're stealing from?"

"The Beast Pirates." She smiled maliciously. I groaned hearing that.

No one wants to mess with Kaido. We weren't even in the New World yet and we're about to start messing with the Yonko. We had to be one special a crew to do this while we were in Paradise.

Maybe these gems aren't a big deal. Kaido was more interested in fighting and supplying his funds from the normal line of business.

"You either do this job for us and face Kaido if he finds out. Or, all of your crew will be sent to the marines. What's it going to be?" She threatened. As if I had much of a choice.

Let's see what I can negotiate.

* * *

 **Franky POV**

"I'm surprised we're out." Brook said. I was out with Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook. From what it seemed like, every one of us were handcuffed and in a separate cell. We were meeting in a lobby where there seemed to be a lot of suspicious guards. One of the guards looked familiar. If I'm right, then this is not good at all.

The place wasn't rocking, so that meant we were somehow on land.

"I thought we were going to get tortured." Usopp called out. I frowned at that. If I remember who that guard worked for, that could have been a possibility as an experiment on those drugs the Pleasure District is known for.

"I thought we were going to get sent to jail. I'm too cute to go to jail." Nami said with a couple tears. I sighed in relief. She could have suffered a fate worse than going to jail. I didn't want to say anything. Nami was too innocent for that.

Chopper cried out. "I was so worried I wasn't going to see you guys again."For all I know, he could have been tested on as an experiment.

I didn't say a word. "Franky-san, do you know who they are?" Brook asked me, checking up on me. I had been giving the people around us a look.

"I recognize one of them. This isn't their style and Yuuto's taking a while." I admitted. What did the Pleasure District want with us? Is it because Yuuto's a Chaser?

"Who are they?" Brook asked.

Before I said anything, at that moment, Yuuto walked out. "Come on, let's go to our ship. I have the directions." He started walking away from us. I was the first to run up to him partially aware of the situation we were in.

He whispered to me. "Check to make sure our ship isn't bugged." I nodded at that realizing this was really big trouble.

"What about Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Robin? They're still here." Nami stated.

He looked back at the rest of the group and paused. "They're holding them hostage. We have 48 hours to do a certain job. We have to do this job otherwise all of us get sent to the marines. That was the condition we could agree on for us to be free. Let's go." He barked out. He seemed a little mean but I couldn't blame him.

I shook my head and continued following after him after that. Pretty soon, they all understood the situation and ran after us.

"What's this job?" Usopp asked.

Yuuto paused. "We're going to rob the Ballywood National Bank. I'll fill you in the details."

What? We're robbing a bank.

* * *

Morning

At the Thousand Sunny Kitchen/Meeting Room

We were all examining the blueprints that Yuuto already had from one of his journals. We weren't bugged as Yuuto feared.

"So let me get this straight. We are threatened by the Underworld to steal diamonds from the Ballywood National Bank?" Chopper asked. He was double checking the facts.

"The Ballywood National Bank that is reported to have a world renown security system." Nami added.

"The vault that has motion sensors. Deposit boxes almost as strong as steel. Security dens dens." Usopp added.

"Don't forget the laser grid." Brook mentioned.

"The walls are reinforced with titanium as well. It also happens to have a lock in feature, so if you're in they can lock you in until the cops come." I added recognizing some of the blueprints.

Yuuto dismissed those thoughts."It's not that bad. It's doable." That reassured me. He already had an idea of a plan then.

"Right." Nami said sarcastically. She doubted him. If anyone could do it, it would be Yuuto. There's a reason why he's the Black Fox. "Assuming we can do all of that, then we'd get our nakama back." Nami added.

"Don't forget we piss of Kaido in the meantime." I added. In a one on one fight for the Underworld, we always bet on Kaido.

"I heard that Kaido doesn't care about too much about diamonds." Yuuto mentioned. "So hopefully, they're not a big deal." I nodded hopefully. That was true.

"Anyway, now that I brought you up to what you need to know. Here's what we need. Brook and Chopper." Yuuto looked at us. He was calling the shots because this was his specialty. We also knew how urgent this was. "I want you to see if you can double check the blueprint of the bank. See if anything was added. Also give me a list of security and personnel specifically the bankers. See if you can find out which bar they like to go to tonight." They nodded. That sounds like scouting and recon. They left the room.

"Nami. Use the personnel you get from them." She nodded to acknowledge that. "Find me a weakness in the guards and how the safety deposit boxes work. Flirt with them if you need to. We may also need you to practice picking locks for this one. We need the entire job to be done within 7 minutes. If we can't, then we also have to worry about the police which we don't want more trouble." She nodded her head urgently.

"Usopp. We need you to make a giant magnet and a bullet with cable wires. I'm thinking of have you fire at the deposit box we put the magnet in. See if you can make the magnet look like gold. The bullet should have a cable that can support me or Nami. Franky will help you when he's done with his part." Usopp nodded and immediately went to work. I was curious about my role because I definitely should be doing what Usopp was doing.

"Franky, I need you to figure out who this person is. Use our friends at the Underworld to see who this woman really is. After that, help Usopp." I nodded. Usopp wasn't as good as me in inventing but because of who I knew, I could help figure who this woman was. That was important for whatever Yuuto needed.

"What are you going to be doing?" Nami asked Yuuto. It was just us 3 in the room.

"I'm going to retrace some steps." Yuuto mentioned. "Also make sure there's no hidden blindspots. Cover all the angles. Make sure we don't get locked up. I also need to pickup something from a contact I have at Ballywood. He can help us put something inside the vault. I can get fake id to be an important citizen to use the vault."

Nami soon left hearing that leaving us two. "This seems that we're in quite a pickle." I said. I grabbed my den-den mushi to see if I could contact anyone willing to help me out. "By the way, the motion sensors are under a different power source compared to the lasers and the security lockdown. I can hack their system to stop that."

"That makes our life easier. I didn't know how to get bypass of the laser system." Yuuto said. He was considering something else. "I'm probably going to have to talk to our Underworld friends and visit them to find out more about them. I also need to make sure our friends don't get sent to the Government without me looking."

I scoffed at that. "You don't trust them do you?" I was kind of surprised he accepted the job after how he talked about being free from the Underworld before I joined.

"Would you?" He retorted back. "Sorry, I'm not annoyed at you." He apologized for his curtness.

It wasn't a big deal. "No. It's fine. It's kind of my fault we're in this mess." I felt guilty putting us in this situation. He looked at me confused. "If only I thought of building a sensor or radar, we wouldn't be in this mess at all."

He laughed at that. "I didn't even think about that." He considered the idea I mentioned. "That's a good idea. It's not your fault. We were all completely caught off guard. If you're guilty, then I'm guilty as well." I looked at him to expand on that. "I didn't consider that too seeing that I helped design the ship. Also, I think they targeted us because of my skills." He said the last part with regret and worry.

I chuckled. That did make me feel a little better. "I guess in that case, it's no one's fault. We shouldn't be blaming ourselves for what happened then. We should be focus on saving our friends." He nodded his head at that. He then focused distracted about them. "You're worried as all of us about them being sent to the Government for money." I considered that as a possibility.

"The stakes are pretty high right now." He added. He looked out at the door. "The reason why I became a pirate was because I believed that Luffy will become the Pirate King." This was new. "My life as a pirate is because of him. It gave me a new life compared to being a Chaser. It's been fun and it's something I enjoy being." He opened up to me a little. Probably because I knew what the Chasers did. "I like being a pirate more than being a Chaser. I haven't been happy for long periods of time. I really love the camaraderie we have. " He kept quiet.

I pondered those words touched. My allergies were acting up again. Still, him willing to do this showed what it meant to be a Straw Hat. It really showed how much they valued their bonds to work this hard. Plus, he's given himself a hard time for all the stuff he did as a Chaser. "If this doesn't work out, it won't be your fault." I tried to say in a comforting way as I blew my nose.

"Won't it?" He said so seriously. "Luffy, Zoro's, and Sanji's not here. By seniority, it should be Nami or Usopp calling the shots. However, they're not as experienced in this world like we are. That's why I'm calling the shots here." I nodded at that. They were young and bound to make mistakes. Only me and Brook were over 30. This entire crew has a lot to learn about the world.

Yuuto had to grow up faster than normal but still. He talks as if he's carrying the whole world on his shoulders.

"Relax." I started. "I'm sure the ones in jail know that we're doing the best we can for them." Yuuto looked relieved at that. "I'm surprised that the Underworld would turn in pirates for money." I added.

"The thing is the Underworld is not doing this for money." He added. I was confused. "They're not threatening us for reward money. If they were, they would have locked me as well. No. She knows how important Robin is to the government. She also acted as if she knew why my bounty is alive."

"Then does that mean?" I saw what Yuuto was implying.

"Yes. Stussy somehow has access to what the World Government knows." He said very gravely.

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

I had been sitting away in this dark cell for who knows how long. The last time I sat in a cell alone like this in my childhood, I was always wondering when the next time I would come out. I sure had a messed up childhood. Eventually, I heard a groan as if someone woke up.

"Hello?" I called out. "Who's there?" Was it one of my crew or some other prisoner? I didn't even know who.

A pause. "Great. I'm chained up. And the only person around is the stupid cook." That was Marimo's voice. It was going to be annoying knowing that he was in here with me.

"Oh. I didn't think you guys were also here." Wait! That was.

"Robin-chan!" I was relieved. At least, I had a woman here.

At that, some light came on. A cute woman with short curly blonde hair walked in. I saw Zoro, Robin, and Luffy on the other side. Luffy was sleeping peacefully.

"So this is the Strawhat crew. I'm the Queen of Pleasure of the Underworld. You are my prisoners." She called out. I was quite curious about what she meant by pleasure.

Zoro looked at her. "What do you want?" He said rudely. She turned and faced them. I saw her behind.

"Oi! Be more respectful to a lady!" It was irritating to me to know how he always treated woman. I continued ogling her. She seemed to have a nice body and a sultry voice.

The woman laughed. "Even if that woman is the reason why you guys are here in the first place?" I didn't think she noticed me.

I nodded. A man must always treat a lady well.

"Well then, I expect you guys to be quiet while I explain a couple of rules here." She looked threateningly at us. "I needed you guys as hostage." The ones awake looked at her. If she worked with the government, all of us would have been turned in. "For the Black Fox." I growled. Annoyed at the attention almost every lady we met seemed to be interested in the Black Fox. "After all, he's probably one of the best thieves we could find."

Robin sighed. "So by holding us as hostage, you believe that the Black Fox will help you." Me and Zoro looked away at that, knowing that Yuuto would do whatever it takes to helps us. "What is it that you're trying to steal?" She continued asking.

"That's none of your business." The woman said. "What's important is that we get what we both want. I get what he's trying to steal for me. He gets his friends back." Zoro kept quiet at that. "As an incentive for the Black Fox as a time limit, I'll let my guards in. I only allowed them to beat people up. Otherwise..." She looked at Robin quickly and left the room. We saw two guards come in.

"Oi you bastards." I called out. I didn't want have Robin or Zoro to go through the beating. Robin was a woman while Zoro still had his injuries. Even if I hate him, Chopper forbade him from training meaning his injuries bothered him. The guards ignored me. "You stupid pigs. I'm talking to you. Did your mother never teach you and manners." That's when the guards came and zapped me with a stick.

"Let's take him to a different cell where we can start" I heard one of them speak out. I braced myself with whatever I was about to face.

* * *

 **Afternoon**

 **Nami POV**

I was on the deck trying to pick a special type of locks that Franky had made when he joined the crew. Yuuto had them made for me and him to practice on. This particular lock that the deposit vault was meant to take 3 minutes to unlock the fastest. We only had a 7 minute window according to Yuuto and Franky to get in and out the bank.

When I finished picking the lock, I checked the time.

It took me 4 minutes and 37 seconds.

I slammed the desk in frustration. That wasn't going to be enough time to save Luffy and the others. By the time it was five minutes, we had probably just gotten the diamonds. We'd have to run and leave the rest of the money in the bank. I needed it done faster to make sure everyone is safe and to get the extra money.

"Nami. Are you ok?" Yuuto had just come back from his contact.

"No. I'm not fine." I admitted to him honestly. "My nickname's 'The Cat Burglar' and I can't even pick this lock in under 4 minutes." He looked at me closer as if he was trying to determine how I really felt. "What?" I asked.

He looked around and popped up a chair next to me. "That's not the real reason is it?" He wanted to listen to me.

"I suppose not." I continued. I kept thinking about whether they were treating our crew right. "I hope they're treating Luffy and the rest right." He nodded at that. "I have to be able to do this to save them. They're counting on me."

He smiled at that. "Relax. I'm sure they know we're doing our best to help them. Stay calm." He said that as if he's been told that before.

"How can I stay calm? I don't want to fail Luffy." I told him quickly. He raised his eyes at that. "And the others." I quickly added. "Zoro… Sanji… Robin." I cursed myself. I was worried sick about him because I wouldn't make such a careless mistake so easily. Not even Lola knew about it. Robin only knew because I didn't want to lie to her.

He then continued looking at me. "So you like..." As if to make sure.

"No I don't." I quickly denied. Even though, I know how hopeless that was in front of him. He was good at figuring stuff out.

He gave a chuckle as the way an older brother would when he finds out about his sister's crush. "Well I was right then. Since Alabasta." He kept quiet at that.

"If you tell..." I threatened. I was getting ready to hear him start bragging in front of me. It was something I would do.

"You'll charge me. I know Nami." He stopped, looked at me, and thought. I paused. "I won't say anything. Not to Luffy. I won't even brag. Just knowing that I was right all along gives me the satisfaction." I glared at him. He was making fun of me. He then gave it some thought. I wonder what he was thinking.

"I'm not sure whether Luffy likes you the same way." He finally spoke. I lowered my head a little dejected at that. "But, you definitely are more special to Luffy compared to the rest of us." I looked at him confused. At least, he was trying to be supportive I guess.

"How?" I asked.

"One, you're his navigator." I gave him a look that said no duh. "He's always going to need you no matter what. He needs you to tell him where to go. He trusts you." I laughed at that. That sounded so cliché.

"Two. When I thought about the times you two are together, you two are always having fun." I looked at him not believing that. "Ok. Fine, you get angry at him; that's not fun for you. You whack him for observation Haki training that's not fun for him. " I laughed at that. "But I think he likes spending time with you in that way. Maybe that's why he's bad at it. He has an excuse to spend more time with you."

I chuckled at that. I appreciate that Yuuto was trying to be encouraging. He was a really good older brother to me. "I don't believe that. He's too stupid." Yuuto laughed at that too.

"He's book slow. Fighting and people wise though, he's smart though." He admitted.

I gave a sigh. "Finally." Oh. There's more. "I've seen him give his hat to you. Have you seen Zoro, Usopp, or Sanji touch his hat? I've been on the crew long enough to notice how much he treasures his hat. I've only touched his hat once and that's because I took it. He's protective of that hat." I nodded.

"But that's because I can stitch it up for him." I said truthfully.

"I'm sure you would be the only person he wants to stitch his hat either way. He's picky about who he chooses." I smiled at that encouragement. I hugged Yuuto over. He froze a little bit but hugged back after a while. "What's that for?" He asked confused.

"For cheering me up." I smiled at him. He was a little silly showing a little discomfort with some physical contact. I remember telling him that not every hug is romantic.

He breathed some relief. "No problem. I'll distract Sanji for you so you can spend some time with Luffy." I blushed at that.

"What about you?" I asked. Yuuto froze.

"What do you mean?"

"Now that you know my crush." I was trying to soften him up. "Do you have a crush?" He rolled his eyes and gave me a look that said not this again. I wanted to see if he liked Robin. I've seen him stare at some of the outfits that Robin wore. I wasn't going to blackmail him unless he made fun of me.

He checked the time. "How about we talk about this after we save Luffy and the crew?" I nodded. I let him drop the subject because I felt a lot better. He also would talk to me when he was ready. He got up and left to go to his planning room.

I looked and started timing myself. When I finished, I checked the time.

3 minutes and 52 seconds. I smiled at the massive improvement.

* * *

 **Chopper POV**

At 5:00, I had just finished going on recon. Brook would finish updating the building schematics after he had helped my part. I would figure out about the guards and the bankers. I had done my part.

When I went to Yuuto, he told me to go see if Usopp needed help. Yuuto didn't want to help Usopp because we all knew that he would probably hinder Usopp. He was really bad with his hands when it came to making or repairing a physical object. He could cook but that's it.

Usopp would need someone to make sure someone can support the wire. I nodded my head excitedly to play with the wire. It looked fun whenever I saw Nami and Yuuto on the wire.

In the meantime, Yuuto was going to pass the information to Nami. Then, Nami was going to go to the bar and flirt with a guard or banker to find more info about the bank.

When I stepped into the room, I was suddenly lifted up in all the wires. I was entangled up.

"Sorry Chopper." Usopp said. "I've been working on the wires for a very long time."

Something tells me this was going to be a long process. I sighed.

On the bright side, if Yuuto came to help, this would have taken longer.

 **Brook POV**

At 6:54 PM, I had finished updating the blueprints. When I gave the blueprints to Yuuto, he told me to see how the wire was coming along. I might be needed to go on the wire because I was the lightest one.

It's really good that I was all bones!

As I opened the room, I was immediately zapped by lightning.

"Sorry Nami!" This had happened before. I must have gotten the rooms wrong again. I put my arms out to protect myself. "I didn't mean to go sneaking in your room to look at your panties." I was going to be beaten to death.

I didn't even intend to sneak to the girls' room this time so I could look at their panties.

"Brook! Why are you here?" Usopp asked. His hair was very messy because of static electricity. Chopper was lying on the floor looking like he also got zapped.

"I was sent to help you guys." I answered truthfully.

Usopp gave a sigh. "I'm going to need all the help I can get."

* * *

 **Robin POV**

I was lying around in the jail cell I was in. They had surveillance on me and the rest of the crew members here. I was unfortunately held in seastone handcuffs. I was sure I could escape if I didn't have the handcuffs with the others. I knew the cells surrounding me were Zoro and Luffy. I didn't see Sanji, but I knew he was on the other side with the guards. I was slightly worried about him.

A guard came in. "Straw Hats. You have a visitor." I got up wondering if it was going to be the Queen of Pleasure again.

In came Yuuto. He stayed a distance away from the cell with the guard watching him.

"Black Fox." I called out. He was very secretive about his identity. It seemed that Zoro and Luffy were quiet.

"Hey." He looked around. "I don't see Sanji. It figures that Luffy and Zoro are sleeping when I decided to come visit." I laughed.

"Sanji was moved to a different cell for name calling." I laughed at that. Sanji actually protected Zoro by taunting the other guards when the other guards came toward Zoro. Sanji wouldn't admit how much he cared about all of the men. "I've talked with Luffy and Zoro. They're just waiting for you to finish the job." They both trusted Yuuto to get us out.

"Are you guys being treated alright?" He asked worriedly.

I shook my head. "This is prison. I suppose we should be thankful that we aren't being physically tortured other than Sanji." This was better than how I felt at Enies Lobby though. When Sanji came back temporarily, the guards didn't want to torture me and Zoro. He sighed. "How goes the plan?" I asked. One of them mentioned that they were going to steal something for us and we would be free. We didn't have to worry about being turned into the government. As if I truly believed that though?

"It's going as well as you expect." He said. That meant he was stuck at a certain part. "We can get in, but I'm not sure whether we can all get out. The security there can be tough." I closed my eyes deep in thought. He wasn't sure about whether the people keeping us imprisoned would keep their word.

I needed to give him ideas. "Well. I'm sure you'll think of something. Remember that you kept the peace between the rebels and royal army at Alabasta so they didn't fight." I reminded him. Maybe that could help.

He sighed. "I remember that." He then gave a pause. "Listen, in case it doesn't work out and I don't see you guys again," I looked at him curious about what he was going to say. "I never had the chance to apologize about my actions at Lulusia Kingdom." I smiled at that. He's referring to the time about he tried to kidnap me. [3]

"It's fine. That was a long time ago. You weren't the person you are now." I added. I never heard of them being called Chasers before. I only knew what they did. I heard some Chasers obeyed the World Nobles because of the explosives placed in their equipment.

"It's not ok." He declared. "No one deserves that and especially not my nakama."

"We weren't even….." I started. He didn't need to say that. We were enemies during that time.

He interrupted me. "Still. No one deserves that and the painful future you could have had." I froze at that realizing what he was referring to. I heard about what the slaves went through.

"No harm done. It didn't actually happen." I tried to comfort him.

He sighed. "Still. I tried to put you through that even if you were going to end up as a wife to a World Noble." We stopped talking.

"I'm sure you'll find peace with yourself one day." I added. "Just focus on getting us out." I needed to distract him.

"Yeah. You're right. You guys are more important right now. It's good to see you guys are alive and they are keeping their word" He said. The guard then motioned something to him and I realized that time was up for him to visit. He waved good-bye and deep in his thoughts.

It was quiet again in the prison.

* * *

 **Franky POV**

At 7:30 PM, I finished gathering all the information I could find for Yuuto. Pretty much, everyone said the same thing about Stussy other than where she came from. No one was sure about where she came from. She had been working for the Underworld for a long time and made her way up.

Seeing that Yuuto wasn't here, I decided to check on Usopp.

As I opened the room, I was suddenly hit by something. Unfortunately, it hit my crotch. The guys in the room winced in pain. As I kneed down in pain, I heard Usopp say something. "Well. It looks like I finally got the magnet to work now. That took faster than the wire."

I gave Usopp a death glare while Chopper and Brook cowered behind him.

"You should have done the magnet first!" I yelled covering myself.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to do a bank heist." Usopp confessed. I sighed at that. I guess Yuuto was hoping Usopp would finish this by himself. If Yuuto tried to do what Usopp did, it wouldn't have worked at all.

"Let me check it." I groaned. Something tells me I needed to modify this so it would work well.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

At 10:45 PM, when I came back from drinking with the personnel, I saw my entire crew mates sitting around the dinner table. Yuuto and Franky looked annoyed while Usopp, Chopper, and Brook looked a little beat up.

"What's with them?" I asked.

"They were being idiots." Yuuto and Franky answered at the same time. I blinked at that. [4]

Yuuto asked. "More importantly, did you get the information we need about the safety deposit boxes?"

"Yes. I know how the deposit boxes are numbered and ordered. Because the diamonds are in 254, it would be best we put the magnet in deposit box 244 or 264." I smiled mischievously from that. I got that from out drinking a banker who was distracted by my charm.

"Got it. I'll go to the bank tomorrow morning with the magnet. We will perform the break in at 8:00 PM. We will give them the diamonds at around 9:00 PM. We get our friends back after that."

"And we trust the Underworld will keep our friends." I asked worriedly.

Yuuto nodded. "Yes. They know if I know that my friends are there we'll do this job. I checked to make sure they were still there. They're being decently fed." He looked at Franky when he said that. "I talked to them. They could be better. I would say they're just uncomfortable." He was leaving something out, but it must not be a big deal.

"How about some insurance? Could we get one back before we do the heist?" I offered. Yuuto didn't want me to talk to her because he didn't really want me to see how the Underworld worked. It was as if he was protecting me from something. Maybe that was something we could do.

Yuuto pondered. "That seems reasonable. I'll try that tomorrow. I need to talk to them about our plan. In that case, we can get some rest." Everyone else stood up.

As everyone else went back to their rooms, I stayed behind. Usopp noticed. "Nami?"

"Don't mind me. I'm just going to practice on the locks." I added. I needed to do my part right.

Yuuto nodded. He understood why it was important. "I see. Don't stay up too late Nami."

I nodded. I timed myself again.

3 minutes 12 seconds.

I can go faster.

* * *

Next day

5:50 PM

 **Yuuto POV**

I had already put the magnet in the vault. My contact gave me fake proof that I was a Ballywood citizen. I got deposit number 244, so we were below the deposit box that we were stealing from. That works better. As I got ready to leave the Thousand Sunny, Franky brought me the flowers and champagne. They were supposed to be a piece offering to our current "employer."

"Remember that you have a hidden den den mushi on you." I nodded hearing that. We were going to see if I could incriminate her in any way to defend ourselves.

"Franky, make sure everyone is clear about the plan and the layout of the building. I'll go see if I can get us one of our friends back. One of us will have to pick him or her up." I added.

I then made my way to the hotel we were meeting at in 5 minutes.

I knocked on the door I was supposed to meet her in. Stussy opened the door with her guard nearby. I immediately offered the flowers and champagne.

"Black Fox. You shouldn't have." She said looking at them.

"Consider it as a peace offering." She accepted it. The guard then tapped my body to see if I had something hidden. I frowned.

"Your friends told me you might be tricky." Stussy mentioned. I frowned at that. I had a feeling I knew who they were. The guard found the den den mushi. "Is that a den den mushi? Were you trying to do what you did to me like how you exposed Crocodile." I didn't say anything to that. It seems she did her research. She took the flowers and put them in a vase. She looked at her guard. "I'll call you when we're ready."

As he left, she asked cruelly, "So you're all set."

"We go tonight. We just ask if we could have one friend back with us 10 minutes before we start the heist." I asked to see.

She paused. "We'll give you Black Leg Sanji. He's getting kind of boring for my guards." I glared at her. "Don't worry. We didn't drug any of your friends like you asked."

I sighed, worried more about Zoro or Robin. Zoro didn't have any medical treatment during the time. Robin was just to make sure she's safe from the Government. Still "If you..."

"Oh. The rest will be fine. They won't have their fun during the last couple hours." I kept quiet at that.

She sat on the couch and I looked at her. "You must be really enjoying this." I told her to gauge her reaction.

She gave me a smirk. "Please pour me a cup." I went over to the cabinet near the door. I opened the bottle I gave to her earlier. As I finished pouring a cup and smiling as I did so, she asked, "Did you figure out who your friends were?"

"CP-9" I answered. "They were the only people I could think of who were my so called friends recently." I looked at her. "You're secretly part of CP-0 aren't you?" That was the only connection I could make. CP-0 with the World Government and the Underworld.

She nodded and clapped sarcastically for me that I figured it out. "They did say you were clever."

Why do I feel that I'm still being looked down on? "Which one?" I asked. I had a feeling I knew who. I only fought with two of them but there was only one who would probably consider me clever.

"Kalifa." I smiled at that remembering the moment we had. Albeit, I knew it wouldn't work but there could have been something between us if our situations were different. Stussy then continued. "I want the diamonds as soon as possible."

I gave her a glass. "You'll get them."

"Aren't you joining me?" She asked. She held her cup.

"I need a clear head for the job." I answered truthfully. I had to make sure I was ready for the job.

She looked to the side and took a sip. After that sip, she asked me. "How long will it take?"

"It'll be quick to get the diamonds. Getting the extra money will take a while." I told her.

"You'll be rich after this. Maybe you should stop being a pirate." She held the cup to her lip.

"And do what?" I asked.

"I don't know. Have fun." I narrowed my eyes at that. I mentioned that to Kalifa before. "Do you have fun?" She seemed that she was teasing me and maybe Kalifa told her what we did.

"Only with the right people." I answered back distastefully. It's only fun with my nakama.

"You really dislike me. Don't you?" She said. I shook my head to agree with that. She wasn't even attractive to me.

"So a secret CP-0 agent posing for the Underworld threatens my crew's safety to rob a bank for them. Most likely you give these diamonds from Kaido to the World Government. And I'm supposed to like it." I answered angrily.

She looked at the valid points I gave and nodded. "Whatever takes to get the job done. You did that before as a Chaser." She said it so nonchalantly.

"Yes, but I regret that." I answered. My job as a Chaser was not very kid friendly.

She gave a fake laugh. "Oh please. Admit that you are at least having fun planning this heist." She really didn't know what I thought or felt. She must have thought I was like the other Chasers.

I walked away from her but she approached me. "It's a shame we're on different sides. We would have made a great team." She really didn't get a clue I wasn't attracted to her did she. Why was she attracted to me?

"I doubt that." We both stared at each other. "Because I would do the job myself then ask a bunch of pirates to do it for me." I tried to insult her.

"Ouch." That stung her a little bit. "Does it bother you? Being beaten by me?" Was she still trying to flirt with me? I'm not interested in her.

"That depends." I stared at her intensely. We made eye contact for a bit.

"Kalifa was right about you being a charmer. You know..." She paused. I was wondering she was going to say about her. "She wanted to screw you." She said that a little distastefully. She seemed annoyed mentioning Kalifa.

"I see." On one hand, I was flattered. On the other hand, I remember her trying to stab me with a knife while we were kissing. I find that hard to believe.

Stussy then put her hand on me. "Although she'd be mad as hell if she did what she couldn't." Was this just a personal competition between her and Kalifa?

Either way, I was not expecting this nor did I plan this. "And you could tell her about it whenever you meet up. Why do you care so much?" I tried to drop her guard. Stussy smiled at me as if I understood what she was saying and moved closer to me.

"Because." She then put her finger on my lips momentarily. "I've always been better than her. The only reason why she's even in CP-9 is because of her father. She's not that strong." She answered back.

"But you're in CP-0, and she's in CP-9. You're clearly better than her." I followed her logic.

"Glad you see things my way." She moved closer to my mouth. I didn't stop her because she was in control. She tiptoed and began kissing me. I felt her hands touch my clothes.

After about 30 seconds, she started to try and undress me. I stopped her because I really wasn't into her compared to how I was into Kalifa. I didn't feel any attraction toward Stussy. "What time is it?" I asked trying to distance myself.

"It's only 6:40. Why?" She pouted.

I walked back to the door. "I need to double check with my team about everything about the heist . All the equipment. You'll have your diamonds before 10. We'll send someone to pick Sanji up by 7:50." I then left. She nodded at that.

I walked back thinking about the events that transpired. She wasn't my type. I prefer a tall woman with black and long hair.

* * *

7:50 PM

 **Usopp POV**

"Alright, Chopper just went to go pick up Sanji. Franky, you're going to stay behind and get rid of the power." Yuuto was going over the plan one more time.

He grinned. "I'm a super hacker, so don't worry about it. Just remember you only have a 7 minute buffer time before they might realize anything. Any longer, we'll be screwed."

"Brook. We need you to be put the night guards patrolling to sleep." He nodded at that. I trust Brook will give them a lullaby and they'll be able to sleep like babies. He showed that ability to us.

"Usopp, when we're at the vault, you're going to activate the magnet in the vault and then fire the cables." I looked ready. nodded. I had an easier job because I just needed to fire at a general area of where the magnet was. I was excited though because I never robbed a bank.

It would make a nice story to tell. I think I'll call it Usopp's Six.

"Now normally I'd be the one attached in the cable wire, but because Nami's lighter..." Yuuto continued.

"Thanks Yuuto for saying that I'm not fat." She interrupted. We laughed at that. Not that Nami was fat anyway.

He smiled. "You're not Nami. Anyways, She can go and unlock the deposit box. It'll be faster that way. Usopp and I will support the wire to make sure you don't fall." He nodded at me. If we let Nami fall while she was on the wire, we would get charged a million berri each. Thankfully, we had been doing stuff like that since the Going Merry so we were used to this.

We made our way to the back of the bank. Yuuto had an intercom piece on his head allowing him to talk to Franky and Brook directly.

"We're here Franky. Let me know when you're ready" He whispered. Yuuto then motioned with his fingers counting down. When he didn't display any fingers, he whispered "Go."

Nami quickly unlocked the bank door in under 10 seconds. Brook ran ahead with his violin out. Yuuto waited for a bit. After waiting a bit, he then motioned us to run. We all ran according to the blueprint we memorized and after Yuuto.

Once at the vault, I waited for Franky to deactivate the laser grid. I activated the magnet, found deposit box 244, and fired the cable. Yuuto was helping Nami put on her harness for the wire.

"We have 5 minutes and 36 seconds left." Yuuto warned hurriedly. As soon as she was ready, Nami gave us a thumbs up and was good to go.

Yuuto and I supported her weight and she got to the deposit box in ten seconds. She then started picking the lock.

After what felt like an eternity, we heard it unlock and she squealed. She did it. [5]

"We have exactly three minutes left." Yuuto warned. Brook had also run to where we were.

"Wait!" Nami whispered. She showed us seven pouches of diamonds ecstastically. That was so like Nami to show us the treasure.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

We made it back to the Thousand Sunny without any problems.

All of us quickly greeted Sanji. Nami hugged Sanji which caused Sanji to go all gushy. Sanji did have a couple bruises. "You have no idea how painful it was for me to miss your presence Nami. When I heard about you guys were stealing something, I knew you could do it and rescue us. Franky and Chopper filled me in on what happened." Sanji gushed out.

I sighed, slightly annoyed that Nami took most of the credit, and took the seven pouches that Nami stole. "I'll go deliver this myself. You guys run away in case I don't come back."

The entire group except Franky looked confused at what I was saying. I only told Franky about this part of the plan.

"Wait!" Franky said. "I'll go with you."

"Franky, you need to stay. You're the only one who can take care of this ship and get away as fast as possible. Sanji." I looked over at him before he said something. "You also need to stay. The guys need you to protect them just in case." He wanted to say something but thought against it.

"Be careful Yuuto. That woman is strong." He said. I nodded knowing she is. She's CP-0 for a reason.

"But Yuuto." Nami started.

"Don't worry. I think if everything goes according to plan. I'll bring everyone back." I said confidently. "Just think about where to run to if it doesn't work out. Rescue us later."

Usopp and Chopper were about to protest, but Franky put his hand out. "He should be fine." He showed his confidence in me. Brook nodded, also trusting me. I nodded and made my way to the hotel.

As I entered the hotel room, I was met with Stussy and her guard. I also saw Luffy, Zoro, and Robin handcuffed.

They looked alright. They looked tired and hungry.

"Yuuto!" Luffy called out, happy to see us. The guard punched him. All of us looked at the guard angrily for that.

"You guys. It's fine. I did what they asked. You guys will be free." I said as coolly as I could. I showed all seven pouches and placed them on the table. That was the deal.

"Yes." Stussy smirked. "Unless you are caught stealing money from the bank. Before I grabbed your friends here, I called the police and told them there would be a bank robbery."

I smirked back as if to challenge her. "Really?"

 **Flashback**

 **Yuuto POV**

Nami had shown us the seven pouches. She closed the deposit box door and made sure she locked it. It would seem that nothing was stolen unless the bankers checked each box specifically.

"Wait!" She cried. She was about to ready to reach over to grab the berris on open display.

"Nami. Leave it. We have 2 minutes and 30 seconds. left" I ordered.

"But..."

"We don't have much time. Besides, that's what they want us to do." I warned her again.

"But..." I gave a look at Usopp which he nodded. At the same time, we both made a motion that made Nami come back to us.

"But all the berris we could have..." She continued. We sighed. We started packing up to leave no trace behind. We made a couple steps toward the exit before we came back to grab Nami who was looking at the money in the vault pitifully.

 **End Flashback**

"I see. There was no robbery. I'm sorry for wasting your time." Stussy got off the phone of the police. She looked at me annoyed while I looked at her innocently. "Those pirates didn't steal anything else from the bank. There was no evidence of a break in."

"We didn't touch the money and made sure all the deposit boxes were all closed." I predicted she would call the police. "We are not thieves." I growled at that. Nami was just a treasure hunter that's it.

"I see." She looked. "Well, I guess I could still send you guys to the World Government." She motioned to the guard.

Zoro and Robin looked angry. Luffy had been picking at his nose.

"Predictable." I said. As if I truly believed that she would keep her word. As the guard approached me, I put my hand forward to stop him. He was confused and did what I suggested. I went forward to Stussy to give her a disk.

"What's that?" she asked. She took it.

"Something to consider before you send us to the World Government." I told her. She then got a video player and sat on the couch. Her guard came over and sat beside her. I motioned my crew members to come over and watch from behind the couch.

It started playing the events from earlier.

 _(Earlier scene italics)_

" _Did you figure out who_ _the_ _friends were?_ " I smiled hearing the audio. The guard and Stussy looked at each other in shock.

The guard finally spoke. "I checked him." He did. They just didn't think I would use two cameras especially a hidden camera in the champagne bottle.

"That was a decoy." Stussy pointed the obvious.

 **Flashback**

"Yes. Stussy somehow has access to what the World Government knows." I told Franky. He looked shock at that. He contemplated at that.

I continued. "Franky, what do you think the is the most important thing to an undercover government official working for the Underworld?"

He took a moment thinking about it. "Secrecy."

I smiled at that. "Right. So how about a confession that she works for them?"

 **End Flashback**

 **Another Flashback**

Franky told me. "Remember that you have a hidden den den mushi on you." I nodded and smiled knowing what my true plan was.

I also had a hidden camera with microphone in the champagne bottle that Franky set up. When I pour her a cup, I would set it on a table.

 **End Flashback**

" _CP-9"_ I heard myself speak. " _They were the only people I could think of who were my_ _so called friends within the last two weeks_ _. You're_ _secretly_ _part of CP-0 aren't you?_ " It looked like her guard knew about that.

They saw her nod. _"They did say you were clever."_ Yeah. I am clever.

Robin spoke out. "That doesn't look good for you doesn't it." The guard shook his head. I trust Robin would know of CP-0.

The video continued.

" _Which one?"_

" _Kalifa."_ A pause. _"I want the diamonds as soon as possible."_

" _You'll get them."_ I was right about that. She did actually get the diamonds.

" _Aren't you joining me?"_

" _I need a clear head for the job."_ It was true. If she had a clear head, she wouldn't have come onto me in front of the video.

" _How long will it take?"_

" _It'll be quick to get the diamonds. Getting the extra money will take a while."_ I smiled at her. That part was an intentional lie.

" _You'll be rich after this. Maybe you should stop being a pirate."_ I shook my head at that remembering what happened after that. This was fun seeing her lose her cool now.

" _And do what?_ "

" _I don't know. Have fun."_ Another pause. She was right I did have fun performing the robbery. _"Do you have fun?"_

Zoro then spoke up. "If I didn't know any better, I would say she was flirting with you." I smiled at that. It only gets better.

" _Only with the right people."_ I pointed toward my nakama. Zoro and Robin smiled at that. Luffy laughed. I was surprised he kept up with the video.

" _You really dislike me don't you?"_ I still do.

" _So a secret CP-0 agent posing for the Underworld_ _threatens_ _my crew'_ _s safety_ _to rob a bank for them. Most likely you give these diamonds_ _that are_ _from Kaido_ _to the World Government._ _And_ _I'm supposed to like it."_

The video shows her nodding. _"Whatever takes to get the job done. You did that before as a Chaser."_

Robin gasped in shock. "Oh. That's not going to sound good to the whole world isn't it." I smiled at that. Kaido would probably attack the World Government hearing that. Chances are other pirates would start attacking the World Government if they're backed by Kaido.

" _Yes, but I regret that_ _."_

Stussy stood up not, wanting to continue watching the video. I smirked.

" _Oh please. Admit that you are at least having fun planning this heist."_ A long pause. _"It's a shame we're on different sides. We would have made a great team."_

" _I doubt that. Because I would do the job myself then ask a bunch of pirates to do it for me."_

There it is again.

" _Ouch. Does it bother you? Being beaten by me?"_ No denial for the court proves it.

" _That depends."_

" _Kalifa was right about you being a charmer. You know… She wanted to screw you."_

" _I see."_

Stussy came over. "Oh turn that off."

The guard didn't listen and kept watching. When she came over to close it, the guard stopped her hand.

"Something tells me this part is going to get better." Robin said. I laughed a little nervously.

" _Although she'd be mad as hell if she did what she_ _couldn't."_

" _And you could tell her about it whenever you meet up._ _Why do you care so much?_ _"_

" _Because. I've always been better than her. The only reason why she's even in CP-9 is because of her father. She's not that strong._ "

" _But you're in CP-0, and she's in CP-9. You're clearly better than her._ "

" _Glad you see things my way."_

They then saw her kiss me as she tried to get under my clothes.

Robin laughed and slapped my arm. "You have been a naughty naughty boy."

Zoro continued the joke. "We should call for some food."

Luffy shouted excitedly. "Meat!"

"You stupid..." the guard said.

Just as they saw her actually start undressing me a little, Stussy turned it off. That was fine. There wasn't anything left anyway. [6]

Luffy yelled. "Hey I was watching that!"

The three of us held back our laughter at that timing. I couldn't have timed it any better myself. I only showed the last part to humiliate her. She wouldn't want this video to be shown to the Government after seeing her compromise herself.

Stussy looked at me furiously. "Get out." The guard unlocked my crew's handcuffs.

"I assume none of this will be reported to Kaido now that Kaido will know who we stole the diamonds for." I told them.

The silence from them told us what we needed to know. We stepped close to the door to leave.

Just before I left, I had one last taunt. This was for what they did to my crew. I tapped my crew mates. They looked confused. "By the way, if you think that's the only disk." She looked at me. "It's not." I dropped another one. "In fact, there's hundred of them." I kept dropping more and more disks.

Franky had made extra disks. He was ready to send it to all the people we knew who would help us. Just in case this didn't work out. He had a separate package ready for Drum Island, Alabasta Kingdom, and Water Seven.

As if the government could stop so many different locations at once.

Robin joined the fun and pulled one out with her ability. I told Luffy to lift up his hat. He did and I pretended that I picked a disk up. Zoro smiled and showed he had one close to where he would put his swords that were on the ship.

After seeing the look on their faces, we made our leave.

* * *

Close to Thousand Sunny

Before we actually went on the dock, I told them to stop. I needed to go over a couple things with them.

"Please don't mention the last bit to the rest of the crew. Franky is going to show them only the first part." All the other disks had the first part and stopped before Stussy came close to me.

"I don't know exactly what's going on but ok." Luffy said. I smiled knowing that. Zoro and Robin nodded at that seeing why.

Right before we stepped on the gangplank, Zoro asked. "Did you?" He stayed quiet at that. That was kind of vague.

"I believe what Zoro means to say is if you had sex with her?" There was Robin's bluntness. She sounded a little annoyed at that.

"No. I did not." I walked away, blushing at the thought.

"You did. Didn't you?" Zoro didn't believe me. It seemed that Robin agreed with him. I saw Luffy's reaction and he also blushed at the thought.

I guess Luffy's not as hopeless as Nami makes it sound like he is.

"Ask Franky. He'll vouch for me." I was trusting my reputation on him. Good thing it wasn't Usopp who probably would have lied to make this story better. I wasn't that type of person.

As we made our way, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook went over to praise what I had just done. Sanji didn't give me the silent treatment so I guess Franky did what I asked. If Sanji saw the whole thing, he was going to go after me. Nami immediately went and hugged Luffy first and then Robin.

We made eye contact for a bit and she turned away to hide. I also noticed that Robin laughed when she saw Nami hug Luffy.

Chopper immediately went to look after Zoro to see if his wounds had gotten better.

Nami went over to and asked. "I thought she'd still turn you guys in. And we'd have to rescue all of you guys. What changed her mind?"

Luffy said. "I don't know. But it seems that Yuuto gave her a piece of his mind."

I heard a distinct whisper from Zoro. "That's not the only thing he did." Franky, who was close by, smiled at that. I gave them a death glare look not to embellish the story.

"If we exposed what we had, at least two Yonkos would attack the World Government for sure." Robin started. "If the Underworld was under control by the Government, that means the Yonkos would figure out their activities were reported. The Yonkos would actually consider joining forces to beat them." I smiled at Robin thankful for the explanation.

"I see. Well you guys know where we're going to go. The weather will be fine. It's been a long night. I'm happy you guys are back, but I'm going to sleep now." Nami yawned the last part and walked away.

I looked at her slightly suspiciously. She doesn't sleep this early. Then again, she probably didn't get much sleep last night.

* * *

 **Nami POV**

As I made my way back into my room, I made sure the door was locked. Only Robin had the key.

I took out a pouch I got from the bank and opened it. I chuckled. Yuuto never asked how many pouches there were. I guess the government didn't know either. I was lucky they didn't know there were actually 8 pouches not 7.

I took one small diamond out and finally played with it now that my crew members were safe. [7]

* * *

[1]

A sensor was what I intentionally forgot to add to the Thousand Sunny. This was what I foreshadowed a couple chapters ago back when Thousand Sunny came up. It was to set up my "filler".

Let me know if you guys think of something else for me to add for Thousand Sunny.

[2]

I expanded my ideas about what I thought about what the Pleasure District does. It is what I consider as the Underworld after all. As of OP chap. 930.

I think if I elaborated any more on that it was approaching rated M territory but if you consider what I wrote, I think you would understand.

[3]

I hope you guys remember that my OC did try to kidnap Robin 5 years ago. This was mentioned before.

[4]

I do feel bad writing Usopp, Chopper, and Brook as comic relief characters for the robbery but I didn't really see an important role for them.

Also Chopper and Brook can't really help Usopp if you think about it. If Yuuto tried to help, there would be even more problems because Yuuto's not an inventor. He just plays with the toys that Usopp and Franky make.

If I were to select a team from the Strawhats to go on a bank heist, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Robin, Franky, and Brook would go. It's just that Usopp and Brook are outclassed by Franky and Yuuto respectively. Sanji and Robin are not there because of the situation.

I would like to write a chapter where Luffy is involved in the bank heist. This was a serious bank heist; everyone in the crew would be serious about robbing the bank. Just imagine how the bank heist would be if Luffy was involved; it'd be more chaotic and funnier. I hope I can implement that if I do that next time.

[5] Notice that Nami unlocked something that should take 3 minutes in 2 minutes and 36 seconds.

I chose the 2 minutes and 36 seconds on purpose. Convert it to seconds and let me know in a review if you figure it out.

[6]

I hope I made it clear that Stussy was just doing it just to be competitive/envious of Kalifa. There is nothing between Stussy and Yuuto going on. Stussy just wanted to rub it in Kalifa's face and make Kalifa jealous. It's more of a Stussy trying to one up her.

She is also the Queen of Pleasure and do you realize how I consider that too.

[7]

This may seem like Nami messed up but I would say that Kaido wouldn't care about diamonds. [as of Chapter 930]

Yuuto was also slightly wrong. Nami is actually a thief. Nami is clever to trick Yuuto about the bags.

Will the diamonds be important? Who knows? And when?

Please leave a review about what you guys liked specifically. I do want you guys to elaborate on something you think I'm doing well or bad on. I do appreciate the reviews that have been trying to help my writing. I will take your feedback seriously as best as I can. Just make sure about you present it in a reasonable manner. I don't get offended easily.

I finally did something off canon!

I do not know when my next update will be because I am getting more responsibilities (that's a much nicer way of saying more work). I am also going to rewrite the earlier chapters eventually. When? I do not know but expect slower updates from now on. I will be asking around for Betas about the beginning part.

Until Next Time!


	27. Chapter 27 Strong World

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or chapter 930 which is not out yet.

Surprise! I actually did Strong World, which surprises even me because it's not really canon. When I outlined this story, I did not have Strong World in mind but here I am after I watched Strong World and felt there were some parts I could use for the story as some development for characters.

Please feel free to leave a review for suggestions or what you liked. For your suggestions, I will see if I can implement them in my story to the best of my ability as long as it can fit.

* * *

Strong World

Two days later since last chapter

 **Nami POV**

The last two days since we left Ballywood have been intense on all of us.

Yuuto seemed to have started training even harder and was pushing us even more. He sparred with Luffy and Sanji more often. He didn't spar with Zoro because Zoro was still recovering from his injuries. However, Zoro and Brook showed each other sword techniques and learned from each other. In the meantime, Yuuto tried to teach Sanji how to sense auras.

When Yuuto wasn't training, he would be teaching me, Chopper, and Robin some self defense techniques with our weapons/powers/techniques that he thought would be useful. He also made sure Franky and Usopp had finished working on a way for us to communicate each other without using den den mushi. In the mean time, Franky seemed to have been showing Usopp more and more ideas for inventions privately. Usopp proclaimed that he had a way to shoot lightning from his bullets now.

Every time, I came up to Yuuto and asked about why he was pushing us, he would just mention that we weren't ready for the New World yet. On one hand, that frightened me, but I thought he was overthinking it.

As we continued sailing, I was reading the recent newspaper. It said that towns in East Blue were being attacked. I called a meeting to everyone. Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp would want to know about the possible danger in their hometown.

"So islands in East Blue are disappearing?" Usopp asked.

"Currently, the islands we're from are fine, but I don't know how long that's going to last." I commented. I was becoming worried about Cocoyashi Island and my sister Nojiko. I rubbed the bracelet she gave me before I left.

"East Blue?" Brook asked.

Chopper nodded. "That's where Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp were born." He then paused. "Oh what about Sanji and Yuuto?" It was reasonable for him to ask the question because he joined after Yuuto.

"I was born in North Blue." Sanji said while looking away from us.

Yuuto pondered for a moment before continuing. "I was born at Mary Geoise." He then gave a sigh about his memories.

Luffy then ordered. "Never mind where we came from. Let's go back to East Blue and protect them." As he declared that, a shadow loomed over us. We all looked up to see what could cause a large shadow.

"What's that?" Zoro asked what we were all thinking about.

Franky said. "I guess I should make our new radar check things in the air now." Yuuto silently nodded, agreeing with that. We didn't want a repeat of what happened two days ago.

"An island?" I stated.

Robin looked and saw. "It has a flag."

"It's a pirate flag." Usopp pointed it out..

Yuuto considered and sensed. "Luffy, there's someone strong over there." He looked a little worried.

I suddenly, gasped feeling the difference in the wind. This difference meant a cyclone was coming. "Luffy!" I warned. "We have to change our course to 9 o'clock. A cyclone is approaching."

Luffy nodded, already trusting my instructions because of how many times I could tell the weather before it actually happened. "I see." He then started waving toward the ship above us. Franky gave him a microphone. "There's a cyclone headed this way. Steer toward 9 o'clock." His voice projected because of the microphone on a ship.

The island didn't move for a bit. It only started moving when it saw the cloud. Yuuto and Sanji gritted their teeth.

"Hold on everybody!" I yelled.

"You sensed that Sanji?" Yuuto asked.

"I only sensed one person who was on the deck in that storm." Came his reply. That didn't sound good.

"That's not all. Some people went inside, a lot didn't make it." Yuuto continued. That made all of us sad or angry hearing that. We knew our captain would never put us in danger or sacrifice us. He would make sure all of us made it out.

After the storm passed, Yuuto suddenly gasped. "Someone just died inside the ship." He warned us. We all got ready at the implications; the ship above us was hostile. Soon enough, we saw a man slowly float down.

Yuuto looked at him closely. "That looks like Shiki 'the Gold Lion.' " Franky and Robin looked up hearing that name. He ate the Fuwa Fuwa fruit. He was considered as Gold Roger's rival. He can make objects float." He called out.

We all stood ready to face him as he landed down. He hadn't attacked yet.

"I am 'Golden Lion' Shiki a pirate." He introduced. "Which one of you figured out the cyclone was coming?" I tentatively raised my hand. "Well then Baby girl. Thank you."

At those words, I saw Luffy, Sanji, and Yuuto looked annoyed hearing that. Luffy calmed down and pointed at the island and asked. "How is that floating?"

Shiki then demonstrated his power to one of the dumbbells that Zoro left on the deck.

"I'm guessing you can't levitate living things?" Yuuto asked. Shiki nodded.

"Anyways, I'd like to thank you on my own terms to show some gratitude for saving my life. You'll come right?" There was something off about this man.

Luffy answered for us. "We have to go to East Blue." Some of us were shocked that he gave up adventure but I wasn't. I knew he would want to check up on his home. Usopp was about to speak up but Luffy answered back. "Can you sit back if the people in our hometown are in a pinch?"

We then got ready to go. We were all protective of each other. Chopper jumped up a little excited. "I'm curious to see where you guys grew up." I smiled at that. That did explain why he sounded excited earlier.

Yuuto nodded at that but kept an eye on Shiki. Shiki began laughing. "I'm starting to like you guys!" I didn't trust the way he said that. I can tell that Yuuto and Robin didn't either. "I see… East Blue is your home, eh?" Why did that matter to him? "Fine, I get it. I'll take you there with my ability." He then made our ship float.

Yuuto kept a look on him and signaled to everyone who saw to keep an eye on him as well. Some nodded that they received his message. The ones who didn't were Luffy, Chopper, and Brook. Brook was understandable because he may not have figured out Yuuto's particular motions. Luffy and Chopper were in awe that the ship was floating.

After a couple minutes, we saw more floating islands in the sky.

"We're finally here." Shiki called out and then he walked closer to me. Franky who was close to me also walked closer to me as if he wasn't sure what Shiki was about to do. "This is Merville." He shouted. The rest of us looked confused at that. "Play to your hearts content." I thought we were going to East Blue. At that, I saw that he was about to grab me.

 **Strong Right**

Franky had punched him from behind as he rushed toward me. Franky reacted before I did. I whipped out my climatact.

"Thanks Franky." I still wasn't going to be taken so easily like at Thriller Bark.

Sanji and Yuuto immediately ran to my side. Luffy saw and started yelling. "What were you about to do?"

Usopp got his slingshot out while Zoro also got his swords out. Shiki noticing that he was outnumbered and manipulated his powers. The ship dropped suddenly and we were all falling in air. Luffy used his power to try and grab me. However, the ship mast hit Luffy. Shiki grabbed me and I couldn't really struggle because if I did I would fall. Shiki used the ship to turn the mast. It then hit Sanji and Yuuto who were about ready to use Geppo. The mast then hit the rest of the crew. Only Robin dodged it with her wings.

I knew that Robin could only fly for one minute and she wouldn't be able to chase after me by herself. I looked back seeing my crew fall to some of the floating islands.

 **Robin POV**

I landed on the nearest island gracefully. As I made my descent, I kept track where the rest of my crew were. Hopefully, they didn't go splat and break every bone in their body. The only ones who seemed to land on the island I was on were Yuuto, Franky, and Brook.

I took a look at the landscape. This island may have interesting history.

I shook my head. Although I was interested in the ruins, I had to find my nakama first. Nami was in danger. To make matters worse, we were in an unknown territory with limited information.

I paused ready to try out the personal communication system Usopp and Franky made. It was the first time.

Yuuto and Franky had explained it to us that we could receive messages if we were within 100 km away from each other. It also had a sensitive microphone for us to hear what other people would say. Only we would hear it because of a special earpiece in our ear. Franky and Usopp both made it in case of what happened at Ballywood.

 _[AN: ("Italics Conversation")_ Talking on communication system and what is heard on the entire system] [1]

I put my two fingers to activate the watch. _"Is everyone_ _safe_ _?"_ I waited patiently for a response.

" _Where are you taking me?_ " That was Nami's voice. I smiled in relief. At least that way, we could feed each other information. She probably didn't want Shiki to find out. Nami was going to be subtle. Yuuto had told us to be careful to not let our enemies know we could talk to each other.

" _You're going to my palace Baby Girl where you'll be my nakama."_ Shiki said. I smiled realizing how the watch we had was a sensitive microphone. You could only hear it if you had the corresponding ear piece close by. I smiled. At least we knew what to look for.

" _Alright, we'll_ _try to find this_ _palace then."_ Yuuto's voice came up. _"Who's using the communication system we have set up? I heard Nami and Robin."_ I wasn't expecting Nami to talk to us for a bit unless she could disguise it or it was safe.

" _I'm alive! Yohohoho. Franky's with me by the way."_

" _It would be stupid of me not to wear it after making it."_ Franky responded.

" _Ditto."_ Usopp said.

" _I'm glad this works."_ Chopper pointed out.

" _You guys quiet. I only want to hear the girls' voices. Where is that bastard taking Nami-swan? Robin chan don't worry, I'll come save you too."_ Sanji said.

I chuckled at that. I could only imagine Nami sighing at that.

After a moment of silence, _"Luffy. Zoro._ _Put_ _t_ _wo_ _fingers on_ _the face of the_ _watch and you can talk to us."_ Usopp explained.

Another moment of silence.

" _Don't tell me they broke it. It's so hard to fix."_ Franky mentioned.

" _Maybe they forgot to wear it. Oi Marimo head_ _and_ _directionless idiot."_ Sanji called out. _"You should wear the watch next time."_

" _Maybe they're dead."_

" _Don't say that Robin."_ Chopper cried out worriedly.

" _Yeah. I'm the only one who's dead remember. Yohoho!"_

Yuuto sighed. _"Alright, so our current plan is we group together and then take down_ _Shiki together_ _at his palace_ _."_

" _But Yuuto. If we ..."_ Sanji spoke out.

" _Sanji. I know you want to rescue Nami as soon as possible, but we need to be together. Shiki's a famous pirate for a reason."_ Yuuto added.

I nodded even though they couldn't see me. When I heard that looked like Shiki 'The Golden Lion', I remembered a couple of his accomplishments. _"We're talking about the first prisoner who escaped Impel Down 20 years ago._ _He's known for having the largest crew, even outnumbering Whitebeard's crew._ _"_ Even larger than Whitebeard's current fleet of 1600 members.

" _Not to mention th_ _is_ _island has monsters."_ Usopp screamed out. I heard footsteps of him running before they stopped suddenly. He probably stopped using the watch.

Another pause. I looked around at my surroundings. The ones in the conversation all said at once. _"I'll talk to you guys later."_

I saw a giant bull ready to charge at me. It was going to be hard for me to fight if I had to keep two fingers on my watch.

"Oh dear. I hope I don't mauled to death." I said to myself.

* * *

 **Chopper POV**

Just as I was about ready to face the giant white penguin that appeared, Zoro sliced it in half.

"Zoro!" I hugged him immediately happy to find someone.

"Oi Chopper. I heard you earlier." I looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"The entire crew's voices were in my head. I also heard that Nami's going to some palace and Curly brow cook insult me." I was confused until I noticed something. He was wearing the watch. That made me angry because he could hear our conversation.

"Zoro. You are wearing the watch." He looked at it.

"Hm. Oh this thing. Franky made it for us. I wore it because he made it for us." He said so nonchalantly.

I then put 2 fingers on the watch and sighed. _"I found Zoro."_

 _"Good job. You're becoming more reliable Chopper."_

 _"Just because you praise me doesn't make me happy idiot."_ I shouted back at Yuuto.

Zoro looked at me in shock. I expected this from Luffy, but not from him. "Hey Chopper, I heard you twice. One just right now and inside my head. Yuuto also spoke in response to you." He still didn't get it did he. He then pointed at me while I was waving my arm. "Oh hey, you got a watch too."

"Zoro. Copy me." I then put two fingers on the front of the watch. I sighed. How could someone so cool not know this? Was he asleep the time Franky was explaining this?

" _You mean like this?"_ He copied my motions and noticed how his watch turned on. _"Oh. My watch does the same thing. Wait I can hear myself_ _now_ _."_

" _You mean to tell me you had the watch the entire time."_ Yuuto sounded annoyed and a little out of breath. _"Chopper, make sure you keep track of Zoro."_

" _Aye aye."_ I've seen Zoro wander off a straight path too many times.

" _Don't let him guide you."_ He reminded me. I nodded remembering how many times he got lost. Yuuto trusted Zoro but not in directions. It was like how we would never trust Yuuto with fixing the ship before we had Franky or Yuuto trying to make inventions. Franky was getting annoyed at Yuuto's attempts to even try to help repair the ship.

Yuuto was somehow making it worse even when he was trying to be careful.

I heard Sanji speak. _"Oh see. I was right Marimo head…."_ He was suddenly caught off.

" _Oh shut it you Curly cook…."_ I then stopped hearing Zoro in my head but I heard him shout insults in front of me. "You should stop being so stupid with you cries for Nami and Robin." Was his watch actually malfunctioning?

" _I moved Zoro and Sanji to a different frequency."_ Franky pointed out. _"Chopper, let me know when Zoro stops._ _We only have two different frequencies. Only Usopp, Yuuto, and I can control who's in which frequency._ _"_

" _Yeah guys. I_ _think I can hear Sanji still so I might be close by_ _. That's a smart idea._ " Usopp pointed out.

" _Unfortunately, only me and Usopp will hear their conversation."_ I sighed at that.

" _At least it's_ _not directly in our ears_ _"_ Usopp tried to comfort me.

" _Yep."_ I replied back. Them shouting in my ear was going to hurt. Unfortunately, this was a normal occurrence on the ship.

After a while, they stopped arguing and Usopp let them join back. _"Alright, now that that's done, we need to find Luffy then."_ Yuuto barked out. _"Sanji, you think you can sense him yet."_

" _No. I only memorized Nami's and Robin's presence."_ He said. I could imagine Frank giving an eye roll at that. Franky had been annoyed at Sanji's blatant preference toward women.

" _I'll see if I can smell him."_ I offered. That could.

" _No that's fine, I built a tracker in each watch as well."_ Franky added. _"The ones who are closest to Luffy is…. No one… He's where the Thousand Sunny is."_ There was also a tracker for the Thousand Sunny too? I didn't know that. Cool.

" _He didn't wear the watch did he?"_ Usopp sighed.

" _Most likely not."_ Robin panted a little bit. It was good to know she was still here.

" _Hey Yuuto and Robin. Me and Brook are close to you guys. Let's meet up."_

" _You guys keep walking_ _where Robin is_ _._ _S_ _he's by herself."_ Yuuto offered.

" _That's a super idea._ _The rest of you guys are actually probably about 10 kms away from each other. Try to meet up if you can. Usopp bring them back to our frequency when you are all together. We'll let you know if we find something. Once we meet up, let's find Luffy and Nami."_ Franky ordered.

" _Roger. You can count on me. I'll try and smell Usopp and Sanji. We have snow."_ I told them knowing my crewmates' preferences.

" _We're in a forest."_ Sanji replied back.

" _We'll get out of the snow then._ " I was ready. I saw Zoro started shivering a little. I then morphed to human form and tried to cover him up.

" _Let's see if I can make friends with the animals here."_ I suggested to Zoro. Zoro just shrugged.

* * *

4 Hours later

 **Nami POV**

" _So what exactly do we know about the islands?"_ I asked. I could finally join the conversation again. I had heard their conversation so I knew they were trying to find me. They just had a lot of obstacles in the way.

" _One, the only village in all of these islands don't have maidens."_ I sighed hearing Sanji's explanation. If he was serious about finding a woman to love, he should not sound like a womanizer. Girls do appreciate loyalty more than they appreciate being complimented in the long run. _"All the villagers have wings._ _The villagers are also monitored by Den den mushis._ _"_ Sanji said. Their group had met up with Zoro and Chopper. I was annoyed at hearing them argue earlier.

" _Two, and more importantly, there are_ _monsters that are on these islands. They're huge!"_ Usopp exclaimed.

I elaborated. _"T_ _he monsters you guys_ _must_ _have seen_ _were animals_ _forced to evolve from Shiki's_ _medicine known as_ _IQ."_ I heard them talk about monsters and the animals.

" _Three, those monsters won't attack the village because of a_ _tree known as Daft Green. H_ _umans can't notice_ _the smell but that doesn't mean it's dangerous. The Daft Green_ _can cause a sickness in humans. The only cure is IQ."_ Chopper added.

" _What's Shiki's endgame? He must have a lot of forces here_ _for a reason_ _. Nami, have you figured out how many there are?"_ Yuuto asked.

" _No clue. Judging from the numbers, I would say at least 500 people are here."_ I had quickly noticed.

After a pause of everyone considering, _"_ _Can you escape now?"_ Yuuto asked.

" _Yes. "_ I looked at my new friend who could help me escape. However, there was something Shiki was doing that made me feel suspicious about. I felt that I had to stop it. _"I could stay behind though and wait for you guys to rescue me. I could feed you information. I'm not being tortured or in jail. I may just pretend to be part of his crew but I can report to you guys separately."_ Even though I knew I was in danger, I just had a feeling this was safer for me.

Sanji said _"Nami-chan. I'll feel safe if you escape now."_ Typical. It's not that I mind being rescued, but I feel safe knowing that you guys are by my side in a way and on the way. I didn't really need to be rescued. I was just uncomfortable here.

After a pause, Yuuto said. _"Actually. Nami. That can work. If we have the right information, we can beat Shiki. Besides, we'll be able to meet up with you soon."_ I smiled knowing that Yuuto believed in me.

" _What are you guys going now?"_ I asked.

" _Robin and I are going to do more recon."_ I raised my eyebrows at that. _"Shiki is planning something."_ Yuuto or Robin should be good enough to do that by themselves. Then again, maybe it's better no one gets separated.

Franky said. _"Meanwhile, Brook and I are going to go to the Thousand Sunny and see if we can find_ _Luffy_ _."_ I sighed hearing that. I was slightly worried about him. _"_ _We're closer to the Thousand Sunny._ _Then we'll meet up with the rest of the group."_

" _Alright, then all of you guys will come."_ I concluded. _"I'll see you guys in a bit. Then_ _I join you guys_ _."_

" _Stay out of sight everyone. Nami. Be careful."_ Yuuto warned. I nodded. He trusted me but he was still worried about me. That was fine; I just didn't want to be useless. I deactivated the watch.

I stopped talking and walked over to the poor bird. "Don't worry. My friends will save us. We just have to wait."

I just hope it won't take too long. Otherwise, we'd be in grave danger the longer we stay.

* * *

 **Robin POV**

As we got off the Crawfish motorbike that Franky made for us, we saw a town. Eventually the Crawfish stopped as if he was frightened, and we got off.

Yuuto closed his eyes while I used my powers to scout ahead. "I would guess there's about 1000 different auras there." Yuuto mentioned.

"Security is light." I added. No cameras or intense security.

"We could probably sneak through." I nodded confirming that I agreed. Before we made our way, Yuuto put on some dye and some fake scar stickers on his face. I laughed silently because he always felt the need to disguise himself. His hair turned white. I looked and moved one sticker to the bottom of the chin. He looked away at the contact.

"It doesn't make sense that you would have a burn mark on top of a cut mark." I said. I wanted to laugh at him blushing but didn't because he was ready to go.

He nodded. He then passed me some dye. I looked at the color of his hair. It was the same white as my mother's.

I took it and applied some to my hair. He looked at me and said. "You missed a spot." He pointed where and I fixed it. When I finished, I used my power to sprout a hand and an eye to examine myself. I looked like my mother.

He asked me if I was ready. I nodded. I couldn't help but feel that in a way we looked like a couple.

I remembered the words Nami had told me back at Water Seven. I sighed. I should not be thinking about that right now.

As we walked, I asked him "Any ideas of what's going to happen? Why there's so many people here?"

"Well," He closed his eyes and considered. "I was hoping to hear more about the army he had back then. Why did he have an army?" I had already considered that.

"Historians say that he wanted to control the world. That's why he tried to ally himself with Gold Roger or Whitebeard." I paused trying to remember more.

"Ok. So. Are these people already his followers or what?" I shrugged not sure of the answer. "I hope Zoro's healthy enough to fight. We're going to need his help for this many people." He said. I nodded at that. He knew about Zoro's injuries. I had eavesdropped at Thriller Bark and talked with Zoro about it during the time in prison. He looked at me when I nodded. "You know?"

"Know what?" I pretended not to know. Zoro was someone I deeply respected and wished to honor his secret. Even if it meant keeping it from someone who already knew the secret.

He analyzed me to see if I was telling the truth. He then looked away. "Sorry. I got distracted."

"By what?" I asked.

He then looked at me and shook his head. He didn't answer my question, but we made it to the door. They let us in pretty easily.

We saw a lot of the pirates drinking and talking. He offered his hand to me. I looked at him wondering why. "They'll hit on you." I smiled and took the offer. It felt comforting to know he was watching over me.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

I breathed calmly. My very attractive and slowly becoming close friend had agreed to hold onto my arm. She looked beautiful with her white hair. I looked at her. Was there something more than just a physical attraction?

I needed to focus but I heard some pirates to try and make some lewd comments about her distracting me. I became infuriated about what they said to her.

It was disgusting to hear them speak like that.

She kept a straight face, but I knew she heard it. It slightly bothered her. I told her "Let go of me for one moment." She looked confused but did so.

I ran to one of the pirates and slammed his head through the table. "Don't talk about my friend like that." Not many pirates heard or noticed what happened because of the loud party here.

The pirates who did hear came up to me and motioned me to calm down. "You don't need to do that. Aren't you guys here to seek alliance with Boss Shiki? We're all going to fight on the same side."

"I didn't need to hurt him, but some people need to treat a woman with respect." It was something I learned over the years. Especially when you have to guard so many female princesses and female World Nobles.

At that, the other pirates stopped talking. Robin then asked. "Why has Boss Shiki gather so many pirates?"

A pirate was about to say something but stopped when I looked at him. He chose his next words carefully. _"I thought that's why you guys are also here? Remember the newspaper about East Blue?"_ I smiled when I heard his words echo in our private communication. Robin was sharing the information with our crew. She had her hand covering her watch so it looked very natural.

I then realized something. Shiki must be behind the East Blue attacks. Another pirate yelled _"_ _Tonight, we mark our allegiance to Shiki!_ _Remember to wear something formal for later tonight."_

Another pirate said, _"Then the World Government will give up!"_

" _I can't wait to see the demonstration on the only village around here. Shiki's supposed to have strong monsters to show us. It starts in an hour."_

Hearing that we both nodded at each other. Our nakama were meeting at a village. _"Let's go. We should change. Didn't know there was a dress code."_ I told her and she nodded realizing that we needed to separate from them.

We walked away and left the building. Robin began speaking to the rest of the crew. " _Evacuate the village now if you didn't hear that already."_ We hoped we weren't too late.

" _Already doing it."_ Zoro called out.

" _Nami. Did you hear that?"_ I asked.

" _Yes I did. I saw the Daft green around the palace. That must be how Shiki's controlling the monsters."_

Chopper spoke up. _"_ _Makes sense. I hate that smell._ _Be careful around there_ _. They could give pollen that causes a disease."_

" _Let me know when you guys get here. That way I can stop pretending to be their comrade."_ She mentioned that she had to give a fake message to a tone dial to show that she belonged to Shiki's crew. I just hope that she didn't get caught talking to us.

" _Brook, Franky. Where are you guys?_ " I asked.

" _We are on our way to the village_ _._ _We got Luffy-_ _san_ _and the Thousand Sunny. We bumped into him on our way._ _"_ Brook answered.

We started running back to the Crawfish motorbike getting ready to help our friends.

" _We're on our way to meet up."_ I called.

" _Don't_ _."_ Franky responded. _"_ _Luffy wants to kick Shiki's butt really badly now after hearing that he's hurting East Blue. We'll meet you guys. Find a rendezvous point."_

At that moment, I changed directions. We were going to wait for them close to the palace. _"Stay safe then and p_ _ick up the rest of the crew. We'll be close to the palace._ _"_

I peeked at Robin who was sitting behind me. She was considering something. "Robin, what's the matter?" We were off the communication system.

After a while, she started. "Thanks for defending me back there." I blushed.

"No problem." I didn't really know what else to say. "You're my nakama who deserves to be treated with respect."

She nodded at that. I had a feeling she was still getting used to the whole idea about having nakama to help protect her now.

"Let's figure out the layout of the palace." I told her. She looked up. "We can figure out a plan of attack and then a point to meet up." She nodded.

* * *

An hour later

 **Luffy POV**

We had all met up together. When we landed, Robin and Yuuto told all of us that we had to dress formally to crash the party.

I didn't really get it but Sanji, Chopper, Franky, and Brook looked happy and excited hearing that.

I had trouble putting on my black tie. I let it hang loose. I saw Zoro stand in the corner ready. "You ready?" He asked. I nodded.

Yuuto also walked over and looked at me. "I think Luffy needs to wear a coat." He handed me a coat and I put it on. "Luffy, what's your plan?" Yuuto asked. This was one of his tests he had me think about.

I smiled at him; I had been thinking about it for a while. "Beat Shiki." I grinned. "Get Nami back."

Yuuto sighed. It was really hard for me to come up with so many things. "Don't forget about the Daft Green."

The nine of us then marched in with the weapons we had. As we reached the front door, Yuuto tried to open the door to find it locked. He then started picking the door.

Zoro became a little impatient. "Yuuto, stand aside."

"I almost got it." Yuuto responded. Sanji started smoking a cigarette.

"Stand aside now." Zoro commanded more roughly. Yuuto moved out the way. Zoro sliced the door open.

Sanji, also annoyed, started "Let me show you how it's done you stupid swordsman." He kicked the door next to it. As he finished, the two glared at each other as if who did a better job. I raised my hand and they agreed to settle this later.

My crew went in before I walked in the middle of my crew.

This was a giant meeting room with thousands of men here. Shiki looked at us. He smirked. "Oh. It's you kids here to take back your navigator. Sorry to say, but she decided to join my crew."

"Liar!" I shouted. The crew had told me that she was only pretending to join them. "Where is she?" I demanded to know. I didn't see her in the crowd.

"Well. Wouldn't you see for yourself?" I was thrown a tone dial.

I pressed it. "Please forgive me for being unable to say farewell to you all directly." I froze a little. "I've decided to join Shiki's crew." I growled a little bit. Zoro tapped me on the shoulder as if to say it was ok. "Shiki is a legendary pirate whom Luffy and you guys can't oppose. You will only be wasting your life if you come after me." I crushed the tone dial unable to hear what she said after that.

The other crew members gave me a look but I paid no attention. I couldn't believe that Nami would doubt my ability to not beat Shiki. I was going to be Pirate King of course I'd be able to beat someone like Shiki.

I heard Yuuto sigh. "Captain," He whispered. I looked at him. He rarely called me captain. "Remember that Nami's only pretending." He spoke that part a little bit louder. I nodded.

Shiki looked angry at that implication. "What? You think you brats from East Blue can stop us?" At that moment, a messenger came to Shiki. "What? Nami's - " He looked around and saw a messenger speak to him.

He activated a screen and the entire crew saw that she was outside trying to get rid of the Daft Green. Unfortunately, she was lying on the snow and turning green.

"Nami was really the vanguard." I said. I felt relieved that she didn't betray us. My crew stepped forward with their guns. "We're the main force." I yelled realizing that she was helping us. At that moment, my crew fired their weapons attacking Shiki's army. I joined in after them.

After a while, we all stopped firing. "I'm out." Franky called out. He tossed his pistols.

"There's still a few guys left." Sanji added. He threw his two bazookas.

Yuuto put down his rocket launcher and put on his gloves. I ordered. "Let's just beat the rest of them. Usopp, Chopper, and Franky get to Nami." The three nodded and ran off.

Shiki ordered his men to kill us all. He then started walking away fro me.

I took off my jacket and walked along the side. Robin used her powers to choke the people who tried to attack me. Anyone else who came after me Yuuto either shocked or burned them. Brook played a lullaby and caused the rest to go sleep.

I leaped in the air to punch Shiki. He took the hit. He looked at me quickly and started running away.

A clown scientist tried to stop me. Zoro clashed with him. "Don't bother my captain." I ran aside.

Sanji appeared and kicked a giant monkey that I ran past. "We're telling you to stay out of the way!" I continued running after Shiki.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

Chopper's voice came on through the intercom. _"Nami. I thought we warned you about the Daft Green!"_ I shocked two people in the gut. Luckily, these voices in my head were not annoying for me to hinder my fighting ability.

Nami's voice came on. _"I know. But..."_ She paused. I kicked another person who leaped toward me. _"I couldn't stand for what Shiki was doing anymore."_ I had done a back flip kick. I grimaced realizing how much she cared about her home. Unfortunately, she didn't sound good.

" _Tell us next time Nami. You didn't have to do it now."_ I quickly added before I took down another two enemies.

" _Don't worry. There's a cure. Indigo..."_ I sidestepped and elbowed an unsuspecting swordsman in the face. _"The wacky scientist has one."_ I looked at the scientist clashing with Zoro. Zoro was normally stronger than this but was taking a while. It must be his injuries from Kuma.

 _"I'll grab the cure Nami-swan!"_

I sighed. Sanji was distracted again on the second floor. _"Don't_ _bother. I see the scientist. Continue taking out the ones on the second floor."_ I replied back. I saw him on the edge. He growled at me, but he had to kick the giant kangaroo behind him.

That should keep him busy. I ran to where Zoro was knocking whoever was in my way. "Zoro. Let's switch opponents. You should take it easy." I offered. As I got to him, he growled at what I said. I looked at him knowing that he didn't want to be viewed as weak. I tried to think of a way to approach the situation better.

" _Zoro."_ Robin, who was close enough to listen to our conversation directly, added. "You're better at taking care of a multiple opponents than Yuuto is." I smiled at Robin's approach. That would appeal to him. "Yuuto's better suited for one on one combat while you can take down more multiple enemies faster." She offered.

He sighed a little bit and let me take him. He then slashed ten opponents nearby. I would have taken a little longer getting rid of those ten. I laughed. "Remember that you beat me at Whiskey Peak because you took down more opponents faster than I did." I encouraged the idea even more. Zoro smirked at that and finally agreed.

I was able to punch Indigo. He felt the shock I added to my punch but kept trying to cut me. When he tried to slice me downward, I sidestepped kicked him in the gut. He flew a couple meters away. As I tried to run to him, he started throwing some chemicals orbs at me. I shad to dodge each one.

He started running away but I heard his shoes. Those shoes were annoying because they made fart sounds and were easy to follow. I quickly ran after him and dodged when he launched a giant chemical orb at me.

Seeing that, I cut off where he was going next with fire from my dials. He stopped and that gave me enough time to catch up to him.

I leaped and put both of my legs around his neck. I then punched his head and shocked his head. He became unconscious and I searched for the antidote on his body. It was fortunately labelled.

" _I got the cure. What's your status?"_ I asked on the intercom. I saw Sanji twitch a little.

Usopp added. _"We got Nami. Find me, Chopper, and Nami. Franky's taking care of the outside guards._ _We're protecting Nami._ _"_ I nodded and ran toward where I sensed them.

* * *

 **Zoro POV**

I was a little annoyed that Yuuto took my opponent because he was watching over me making sure that I didn't get myself hurt. I only let him take my opponent because I knew that I would eventually beat that clown. Still, they did bring a good point. I was better at taking down more opponents than he was. Considering Nami's situation, it was the best move because we also needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

I made my way to see how my other nakama were doing. Cook and Brook were upstairs taking care of anyone there. They could take care of themselves. Robin was on the same floor with me and Yuuto.

I saw Yuuto already choking the clown with his legs. I smiled. The clown was a weak opponent to be brought down that fast by Yuuto. Sooner or later, Yuuto will find the medicine and run to give away to Nami.

Robin was currently fighting a giant butterfly. The giant butterfly release some pollen before Robin subdued it and broke its wings. I did see Robin breathe in some of the pollen though. After a couple moments, she fell to her knees. Instinctively, I ran to her side and cut whoever was in my way.

Here she was also worried about me since we were in that prison when she can't even take care of herself. I smirked.

Once I got to her, I heard a giant thud. I looked and saw a giant monkey in a silly suit who landed. Why did he remind me of stupid love cook? The monkey smacked me and I fell down a little.

As I got back up, I grabbed my swords ready for the challenge we were about to have. The gorilla did not answer my challenge, grabbed Robin, and ran away. I stood considering what just happened.

"Shoot!" That gorilla just kidnapped Robin. I started running after the stupid gorilla.

The gorilla looked back and tripped over a leg that randomly appeared. I looked and saw Robin barely awake. Just as the gorilla was about to grab her again, I leaped and got ready to cut him. He pulled back.

Behind me, Robin panted out "Zoro."

I faced my new opponent. "I'll fight this gorilla since you and Yuuto took my opponent away." I scowled at the gorilla. He only hit me because I was catching my breath; my injuries just tired me out a little bit.

"But Zoro..." She breathed out. "Your injuries." I didn't look at her, slightly annoyed that she seemed to value my injuries more than her life.

"It's fine. The World's future Strongest Swordsman won't lose even with such injuries." I took a look behind at her. She seemed that she was about to fall over. "Tch. Robin." I called out. She looked at me. "Look after yourself before you look after me." I smirked at her.

She closed her eyes and nodded. She smiled at me, showing she trusted my ability to continue fighting. "Alright, fine." I smiled at that.

At that moment, the gorilla stomped on the ground. It then pounded its chest and pointed at me. Finally, it was ready too accept my challenge. I took out Shusui from its sheath and placed it in my right hand.

It ran to me ready to send a barrage of punches. I dodged each and every one of them.

 **Shishi Sonson**

I looked back and saw that I finished it in one blow. Tch, that was boring. The gorilla fell over, bleeding from the wound I gave him. He was unconscious from that single attack.

I sat down waiting to catch my breath. My injuries just tired me out more than normal. I looked over and saw Robin who looked a little stronger than before. She walked over to me. "Seems that gorilla tired you out Zoro." She teased a little bit. She took her hand out in front of me. I accepted the gesture and got up.

"Still not a problem for the me." I needed to show some pride before her. As I walked a little bit, I lost my footing a little bit and she caught me. She then put my arm around her shoulder. I felt slightly embarrassed that I did something uncool in front of her again. That was at least the third time I did something lame in front of her. "Sorry." I tried to put my arm off her shoulder but her hand stopped me.

"It's fine." She looked around and I copied her. Around us, there were no people or monsters for us to fight. "We can take a break before we meet up with the others." I glanced at her not appreciating what she implied. She then corrected herself. "How about we take our time before we meet with our crew?" I looked at her and she elaborated. "Because I'm still weak from the pollen and I need you to watch over me." She smiled at me.

That sounded a lot better. I nodded. Truthfully, she looked that she was in better condition than I was, but I wasn't going to admit that. I let go of her and we walked along with me leading the way.

"Zoro?" She giggled. "You're going the wrong way." She then tugged me along. "We should go back the way we came from."

Embarrassed, I didn't look at her during our walk to wherever we were going.

* * *

 **Usopp POV**

Once Yuuto came over and gave Nami the cure, he told me and Chopper to run back to Thousand Sunny to let Nami rest there.

I nodded. I admitted."Nami's safety is our priority." We started running toward the ship. I could trust Yuuto to cover for us there. I fired as against as many enemies as I could while Yuuto would fight the faster enemies that came too close to us.

After a while, Nami woke up from Chopper's back. "You guys..."

"Of course. Just rest Nami." I interrupted her knowing that she should rest. She should know that we would save our nakama no matter what was going to happen.

Yuuto added after taking out an opponent."We're all here."

"Thanks." She looked more worried. "If we don't beat Shiki, then East Blue will..." I nodded. Knowing the possible dangers of our home. "Wait!"

"What's wrong Nami?" Chopper stopped.

"The pressure is dropping. We should go back to the palace. There's a storm coming." We nodded trusting Nami's judgment.

She kept directing us. "This way." She was looking a lot better.

Soon enough, we went to a room with a lot of people. Why did Nami lead us here? If it was Zoro, I would understand because he got lost. Soon enough, the four of us started fighting everyone in this room.

"Make sure one is still conscious!" Nami ordered us. We looked at her confused. "This is the navigation room." We trusted her judgment.

We made quick work of them because none of them knew how to fight. I put my kabuto threateningly to the last one. Nami handed him a transponder snail.

"Tell Shiki to direct the islands to the 3 o'clock position. A storm is coming this way! Don't tell him it's from us." I smiled realizing what was her plan. She was getting us out of the storm.

The henchman gulped when he saw Chopper in heavy point come up to him with his fists up while Yuuto cracked an unconscious henman's knuckles in front of him. I wanted to chuckle because I knew they had practiced how to look intimidating. The henchman quickly called.

"Navigation team to Lord Shiki! Navigation team to Lord Shiki!"

"What now?" We heard the reply.

"Please direct the islands to the 3 o'clock position. A storm is coming this way!" He then hung up. We felt the island start moving. "Was that good enough?"

"Plenty." Yuuto responded as he punched the henchman's eye, knocking him unconscious.

"Is that good enough Nami?" I asked.

"Pefect. We're headed for the storm."

Chopper and I yelled, "What?"

Yuuto responded. "Think about who's outside. Our electric proof captain and Shiki." I see. He then activated our communication system. _"Everyone_ _w_ _e're going through a storm now._ _Get back inside._ _"_

Nami interrupted. _"Wait! We have to make sure we destroy this place and Shiki."_

Chopper also cried out. _"I want to make sure those drugs are destroyed so the animals won't be tested like this again."_

Hearing that I knew we were going to be crazy and start destroying this palace in the storm. Yuuto also gave a sigh hearing that knowing that he couldn't argue about it anymore. He just wanted to make sure we didn't take any unnecessary risks.

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

I got up from the crater that I crashed into. I hadn't been able to beat him. All of my attacks were not working as well as they should. It was as if he was protecting himself with a certain power. [2]

I looked around and saw my friend Biri. "Biri." The bird gave me a quick salute. "You can still fly right?" He squawked but I knew that meant yes. "Then, let's go kick his ass. Take me back to the sky." Biri nodded and I got on.

I flew again to meet Shiki one more time. "Still alive eh?" He asked.

Just as I responded, I heard Nami's voice. "Shiki!"

I gasped. "Look Beri. It's Nami!" I heard a happy squawk. He must really like Nami to see her still alive.

Nami didn't seem to notice and continued speaking. "It's all over Shiki. In just a couple moments, this palace, your lab will be destroyed. You plan has failed."

"Quiet." Shiki motioned and sent two rocks after her. "As if you children could stop the plans I made for 20 years." He shouted.

Usopp suddenly appeared and shot something at him.

 **Tenryu Boshi [3]**

I heard Yuuto's voice. _"Luffy. That attack is meant to start the thunder. You should know what to do."_ I nodded even though he couldn't see me.

"Beri, save Nami." I jumped off. Shiki dodged the attack that he thought was intended for him. When Usopp's attack hit the cloud, lightning started cracking the sky.

"Now die!"

 **Gear Three**

I quickly pumped all the air I could to my leg. I extended it to the sky and let it wait soaking the electricity there. Yuuto had mentioned this possibility of me absorbing electricity after seeing Brook's attack on Thriller Bark.

"Shiki!" I shouted grabbing his attention.

I heard in my ear Brook's voice. _"Everyone back to the Thousand Sunny now."_

" _Agreed"_ I heard my crew members respond back.

"Stupid boy!" He shouted. "The lightning will only strike and kill you!" I smiled. I guess if he was protecting himself he didn't know that I was actually made of rubber.

"You're the one who's going to lose." I shouted. It didn't seem that he heard me. I shouted louder. "There's no way I'm letting you destroy East Blue."

Just then lightning hit my foot. Shiki laughed.

 **Giant Thor Axe**

He looked on in shock as the attack struck him. I felt my kick hit him and went all the way to the island, splitting it in two.

Franky's voice in my ear. _"We're blasting off! We're trusting your bird friend to get you."_ I saw the Thousand Sunny burst out.

I made my way down. I couldn't become a balloon because Gear Three made me a little kid. I did see Biri coming toward me. Eventually the Thousand Sunny popped open a parachute.

Yuuto's voice. _"I admit. I was wrong. I did not think the ship needed a parachute."_

" _Leave it to the super shipwright to come up with the idea."_

" _Oi Yuuto. You forgot about our adventure as Skypiea when we literally fell out of the sky? That octopus we had was a parachute."_ Usopp bantered back.

" _That's not important. Where's Luffy?"_ Nami asked. I felt happy knowing that someone cared about the captain.

Soon after, I landed on Beri. "Thanks Beri." He nodded his head.

" _I don't think he was wearing his watch now that I think about it."_ Yuuto stated.

" _You and Zoro made sure he was dressed appropriately. How could you guys forget that?"_ Usopp yelled.

I chuckled. "The watch won't work if you consider my fighting style." I said even though they didn't hear me. If I fought, it would get broken.

" _He doesn't like the watch."_ Franky started. I winced sadly that he knew that. _"However, he can still hear us because I made him an earpiece._ _A watch wouldn't work because if he went gear three it would break._ _"_ I laughed happily that I didn't have to wear the watch. I was pretty happy that I could still hear my nakama talk though.

I laughed at that. Beri and I got out of the smoke and saw our friends. They laughed at me seeing that I was still chibi.

* * *

Next day

 **Luffy POV**

I was fishing by myself and thinking about what happened yesterday.

That's right I was thinking more. Yuuto had been training me to think more. He did say that because I was a rubber man that probably meant that electricity had a harder time going to my brain.

I wasn't quite sure what that meant until Yuuto said that meant I think slower than normal even though I have fast reactions. I did think that was weird but I told him that thinking too much always gives me a headache.

He whacked my head and told me that there may be cases where I have to think by myself. Particularly, he said that I should think more about the crew for the future.

I nodded at that. That was when I noticed something about myself. I acted differently when it comes to Nami.

Right when he said that, I was going to ask Yuuto if he had an idea why I acted around Nami differently but then he had just told me to think by myself. This was hard. [4]

The first time I noticed it was around Alabasta during the shower time. I thought she was better than meat as if that was a crazy thought.

And then came Skypiea with the gold bell. It was nice just the two of us.

Water Seven with my grandpa telling me that she was a keeper. Whatever that meant.[5]

Thriller Bark when I couldn't help but keep trying to look at her in the wedding dress.

When I believed she joined another crew, that meant she wasn't going to adventure with us anymore. That made me both sad and angry.

Even when Chopper told me that Zoro almost died at Thriller Bark, I didn't feel as sad or angry at the thought.

I groaned out loud. "Thinking is hard!" I heard a giggle behind me. I looked and saw Robin behind me.

She came up to me. "What's the matter Luffy?" We looked at the sea.

I was about to tell her but then I remembered that Yuuto told me to think by myself. I sighed. "Yuuto wants me to think by myself."

"About what?" She asked. I looked at her expectantly. I remember Yuuto mentioned that Robin was one of the smartest in the crew. Maybe she could help.

I was about to tell her what I was thinking about right now but I remembered that wasn't her question. "He wants me to think about the crew and how we can get stronger." I told her.

"Oh. May I offer my thoughts about that?" She told. I eagerly nodded yes. I was planning on taking her answer and giving that to Yuuto. I was sure I could get the general idea of it. She closed her eyes. "Trust." I looked at her a little confused.

"I thought we trusted each other." I said. "I trust you Robin." She smiled at that. "I always trusted you even when you wanted to die back at Enies Lobby. I think I started after you saved me at Alabasta." She nodded at that as if she was treating me like a kid.

"Right, but I didn't trust you back then. Maybe subconsciously I did back then?" I looked at her a little confused about what she meant but politely nodded. "I feel that I actually started trusted you guys since you burned down the flag and was willing to face my enemies." I blushed at that.

"Oh please. You know I'd beat up anyone for you if you asked." I waved my hand at that.

She smiled at that. "I know. I was also talking about myself. I feel that I became stronger since Water Seven because I trust you guys and you guys trust me now." I nodded at that. "Seeing Zoro train and fight for us has been inspiring to me. Talking to Nami privately is the closest thing to a sister I'll ever have." I froze a little at that seeing that she mentioned who I was thinking about.

She gave couple more thoughts bout the next members. "Usopp's stories sometimes sound like history to me. Sanji's cooking is something I look forward to. Yuuto's been teaching me some useful skills that I can use with my hands like pickpocket, chokes, and holds. I've been reading medical books with Chopper to help him." I looked at her and noticed how happy she was thinking about us. She gave some more thought. "Franky has been funny with his jokes. When Brook plays ancient melodies, I can picture the history I heard."

I wasn't sure what she meant by the last part, but I was just happy to know how she was happy in this crew. When I first met her, she didn't seem like she smiled a lot or talk a lot, but now, I'm happy to see her smile at least once a day. She must be having fun on this crew to talk this much about us.

She continued. "Ah, but I suppose there is a limit to trust. I believe everyone's trust can go to a certain extent. Now that I said that I suppose it doesn't help your original question after all. How would we get stronger after we fully trust each other?" She thought some more.

"No. No. I think it does." I said to comfort her. "Trust comes from nakama." I said. "Nakama does make us strong. Our bonds and the memories we share help us fight for each other." I smiled remembering how I always fought for my nakama.

Robin smiled at me and noticed something. "You could be on to something there. Just like how you just fought for Nami." She pointed her on the deck.

"Pft. I was angry about how Shiki even claimed that she left the crew." I answered her.

As if Nami heard us, her voice came. "Were you two talking about me?" Nami asked. I kept facing forward. I didn't want to answer her knowing that I couldn't lie. Yuuto told me that if I didn't want to say the truth I should just keep quiet. I heard quick footsteps until they stopped.

I felt Robin look between me and Nami and said, "No we weren't. Luffy seemed to be a little stuck about a thought he had. Maybe you could help?" I don't know why but I feel that both of them were secretly talking about something else. I heard some movements and some footsteps went away.

I heard a sigh behind me. "I heard the last part. Why were you angry?" Nami asked.

I paused unsure of the real reason myself. Still facing forward, I started saying what I thought. "I think it's because I thought you didn't trust us."I stopped fishing for a bit to look at her; she did look guilty. "After all we've done for each other and the crew. Hearing it on the dial really hurt the trust I had for you."

"Wait. You heard that tone dial. Shiki told me to say it and he was going to find you guys and drop it off." She started realizing what I was talking about. "But I…."

"Yeah, you said that we'd lose to Shiki." I continued. How many times have I beaten our enemies Nami? "I kind of believed the lie you said." I looked at her.

"But I didn't mean any of that." She started.

"I know now, but for some strange reason, when I first heard it, I was really angry." Nami looked shocked at that. Even when Zoro was critically injured, I was not sad or angry about possibly losing him. I felt that for Nami. "I really do trust you as my navigator. I guess hearing you become someone else's navigator made me feel that you didn't trust me. You just left us." I looked at her to see what she was going to say next.

Interestingly enough, Nami smiled a little bitterly at that. "I wouldn't leave you." She paused and seemed red saying that. "I didn't know you trusted me that much Luffy." I looked at her; I didn't either. "I'm sorry." I looked at her for bit seeing that she was genuine. After a pause, she spoke with a grin on her face. "You know, recently, I want to be known as the navigator of the Future Pirate King in the future." I looked at her a little confused about that and why my heart beat differently. She never mentioned that before. I knew she was drawing maps of the world. To be the navigator of the Pirate King did she mean she was going to join someone else who she thought could be Pirate King. "So I guess that means I'll only be sailing with you for now on" She smiled shyly.

I was happy hearing that. However, the way she said it made me think I had to think more about what she said. I closed my eyes and thought. Right before my brain hurt, I realized what she meant. That was the first time I actually heard her actually believe in my dream. "I see." I told her realizing that she would continue to help me and my dream. "Sorry for doubting you." I smiled at her. She smiled back and walked away. My eyes followed her until she reached the helm.

Nami made eye contact with me and smiled. "Where to captain?"

I smiled back, forgetting the anger I had. "Shishishi. To Fishman's Island!". I was ready to continue our next adventure.

* * *

 **Yuuto** **POV**

I had gotten up from my meditation time from my room. I was about to leave and get some fresh air when I saw Robin closing the door leading outside and focused. "What are you doing Robin?" I asked suspiciously. "Were you using your ear ability again? Who are you trying to listen to?" I stood by her. She told me that she could sprout ears when we were doing some recon.

I then focused to sense everyone on the ship. Usopp, Chopper, and Franky were in their labs. Sanji was nearby in the kitchen. Zoro and Brook were outside at the lookout. Luffy and Nami were outside close to each other. Oh that's interesting.

"No." She finally replied. I wasn't sure if she was lying to me or telling me the truth.

I sighed and closed my eyes considering the possibilities. I then smirked. "Alright, I think I'll go outside." I wanted to see if she was going to move out the way for me to go. She didn't. I had kept a respectable distance away from her.

"No" Robin pleaded with me. I raised my eyes.

"Does it have to do with Nami and Luffy?" I asked her directly; however, she remained impassive and quiet at my question, making sure she didn't show any emotion that gave a hint about what she was doing.

After a slight pause, she responded. "No." I smiled at that. If it didn't have to do with Nami and Luffy, she would have said no immediately. That slight hesitation was all I needed.

I dismissed the idea of going outside. "Nevermind, I'm going to practice some katas." I walked away and decided to go train in a room. Before I reached the hall, I called out. "Oh. If Sanji wants to go outside, tell him that I don't feel like like helping him cook today." I walked out. I had promised Nami that I would keep Sanji from butting in. I never knew Robin would be involved. My promise didn't involve stopping from Robin from interfering but it didn't seem like she was. As I got inside the room before I started practicing, I laughed, realizing at that moment, Robin was helping Nami.

* * *

 **Robin POV**

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Yuuto leave. I had a feeling he figured out that I didn't want to anyone to interfere with Nami. It became more obvious when he told me about he wouldn't help Sanji cook today.

I raised my eyes at this newfound knowkedge. Yuuto is ok with the idea of having a relationship forming in the crew? I thought he would oppose the idea saying that it would be a distraction. Is Yuuto even encouraging this or letting it run naturally?

Actually thinking about it more, I think Zoro would be the type to oppose a relationship in the crew.

I continued spying on Nami and Luffy. I was technically telling the truth when I said I wasn't using my ears. I was using my eyes. I could see both of their mouths, and I could read some of what they were saaying.

I'll ask Nami about what they talked about later but from what happened, it looks pretty good between those two. [6]

* * *

[1] Think of the communication system similar to the watches. Also, the watch will pick up sounds around you and your surroundings. That's the receiver.

Everyone has a secret earpiece close to their ears to listen to the watch so the watch doesn't make a sound.

For future reference, if I write in italics, anyone who's wearing the watch and the earpiece can listen to the conversation. Luffy didn't hear their earlier conversation because he didn't wear the watch at all.

Because of that, Luffy receives a special earpiece that lets him hear the crew. I couldn't think of a way of him wearing the watch and not breaking because of Gear 3. But it's not like he was going to listen carefully anyway.

I think for Luffy I'm going to make him wear a necklace. In my opinion using watches is easier to hide than using necklaces.

Let me know in a review if you guys actually have a better idea for a communication system in a review.

[2] I feel Shiki should have armament Haki if he was Gol. D. Roger's rival.

[3] This is an attack that Usopp did use in only in the movie. It shoots lightning.

[4] I would say that if Luffy told Yuuto that he thought of Nami differently Yuuto would have become the matchmaker on the ship.

In that situation, what Luffy was thinking isn't what Yuuto meant. Also, Yuuto is trying to get Luffy to use his brain more.

[5] Remember that in my version Garp whispered something to Luffy away from Nami in chapter 23.

[6] I felt like giving Robin more of a role. Yes the movie focused on Luffy and Nami, but I wanted to change it a little bit by focusing a little more on Robin individually and some other crew members.

There will be romance in the story, and it will play some role in the story. **However** , I still feel that as my story continues, it will still focus more on friendship and adventure. But, I will change the genre if needed because there will be more romance in the future once there are official couples.

Feel free to leave a review about anything. If you have any suggestions about Sabaody, Amazon Lily, Impel Down, and what comes after, I am open to hear it as long as I can think of a way to incorporate it to what I have planned out. Feel free to give me some critique and advice; I really do appreciate it that it is an attempt for me to improve my communication.

I do plan on rewriting the beginning maybe when I am done with the two year time skip.

Until next time! Whenever that will be!


	28. Chapter 28 Meeting Hachi Again Sabaody

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own One Piece or Chapter 931 which is not out yet.

Sabaody Archipelago Part 1

* * *

Two Days Later

 **Luffy POV**

After we beat Shiki, we were on our way to continue our journey. During the time, Yuuto started acting a little strange. He seemed like he wanted to avoid something. Eventually, we saw the Red Line. Everyone was on the deck for it.

"We made it this far!" I shouted.

"It's been so long. It's a deep nostalgic feeling." Nami continued.

"That day… it was raining fiercely." Sanji reminisced the day before we made it to the Grand Line.

"I feel like crying, a lot has happened." Usopp said. I smiled at that. He continued to reminisce.

"We've grown a lot since that time." Zoro smirked excited to fight strong enemies

Yuuto looked a little worried. "Will we make it?" He didn't look impressed seeing it.

"It took me 50 years to get here." Brook commented.

"I can't see the top of that giant mountain!" Chopper shouted. He was in awe of the mountain.

Franky and Robin looked in awe before us. They reminisced.

"When I return to this place once again, I will be Pirate King!" I shouted.

"Be careful guys." Yuuto warned. "This is Marine HQ and where Mary Geois is." He didn't seem like he want to meet any of them.

"Hey Yuuto. Our next destination is Fishman Island. How do we get there?" Nami asked.

He sighed. "I've never been there." He paused. "But I know of another way to go there." We looked at him. He said the last part hesitantly. "We have to go to Sabaody Archipelago."

Usopp asked. "Is that place dangerous?" He seemed afraid of what was there if Yuuto was afraid.

Yuuto shook his head. "Just a lot of bad memories I have there."

What was wrong with that place?

* * *

 **Sanji POV**

I frowned at Yuuto's expression. He didn't seem that he wanted to go to Fish-man Island.

Yuuto, you idiot. That's where the mermaids are. We have to go. I was not missing the chance of meeting an actual mermaid. Just as I was about to ask where that was, a Sea Rabbit appeared.

Luffy immediately punched it, and it spit out something.

I saw a starfish and a person. Wait that person has a fishtail.

"It can't be!" I yelled. At the impeccable timing.

As she landed, I gladly stayed still to take the impact otherwise she would have landed on the ship.

As I laid on the floor, I heard a cute voice. "Ah! I flattened a human." She then pulled me up. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

"It's ok. Don't worry about it. What about you?" I gazed at her. My first mermaid.

She had short green hair with dark purple eyes. Her tail was pink. She looked like a teenage girl just starting to grow up.

I wonder what the other mermaids will look like.

She then looked at the rest of the crew. "Ahh! I'm surprised there are lots of humans." Her face-fault showed that her eyes pop out with her tongue sticking out. She then thought about her situation. "Thanks for saving me before I was digested. That was about the 20th time." This mermaid was in danger all the time. I could be her knight in shining armor.

Has my luck turned around? I quickly took a look at Yuuto. There's no way he was getting her this time.

I noticed that Yuuto quickly looked away from her and started whistling innocently as if he heard my thoughts.

I'm not going to lose this time Yuuto!

I already lost Nami, Vivi, Robin, Kalifa, and that Stussy girl who imprisoned us to you already. I can't lose again.

You're already closer to Nami than I am. Even though I'm her number one slave, you two are like brother and sister.

Vivi treated you like a superhero.

Robin pays more attention to you and Zoro than to me.

I don't even know who this Kalifa is but I feel that you won her.

Stussy didn't imprison you, so that's a win to you.

I'm not losing this pretty mermaid to you!

The pretty mermaid then introduced herself. "I'm Camie. Do you like takoyaki?"

"Takoyaki. That's my favorite food!" Luffy shouted.

"Really. Well one will be 500 beri!" She said that so excitedly with loving eyes toward Luffy.

No.

No!

NO!

This loveless idiot who has no appreciation for fine women is not going to win her heart.

It's going to be me!

She then looked at me as if she heard my thoughts. I couldn't help but shout for joy. seeing her cute expression. "Mermaid! Every man's dream. The jewels of the sea. And I finally found one!" I went up to her. "You're the first mermaid I've ever met."

"Hey. Aren't you forgetting about Granny Kokoro" Usopp mentioned as he awakened my repressed memories.

I then started coughing out blood. "Thriller Bark… that place… was nothing compared …. to …" I couldn't even dare say what happened to that. That was just a crazy nightmare I had.

"I was wondering if you could help us?" Nami then asked. "We'd like to ask if..."

"Wait Nami! Takoyaki comes first!" Luffy shouted.

"Ok. Let me call Hacchin and see if he can meet with us!" Who was this Hacchin? Was it her boyfriend? I immediately became jealous and envious at the same time. Jealous because Camie was mine. Envious because I wanted that type of relationship.

After a couple rings. "Hi Hacchin! It's Camie! Where are you now?"

We heard a couple laughs. "It's you Camie. This isn't Hachi! It's me Marco!"

I noticed Camie become angry. "Why do you have Hacchin's den den mushi?"

Another voice shouted. "Camie. Stay away. Marco had help from the Flying Fish Riders." That must be Hachi.

The earlier voice came back. "We're gonna sell him for some cash." I heard Yuuto groan out loud hearing that. "Wanna save him? Give it your best shot. We're at the Sabaody Archipelago Grove #44."

The den den mushi clicked.

Nami spoke. "That voice that was Hacchin's sounded vaguely familiar." She didn't sound happy.

Camie shouted urgently. "I must go save my friend."

Luffy yelled. "We'll help." I saw Yuuto wince even more. I saw Franky and Robin also looked at him concerned. What was his problem?

Suddenly the starfish started talking. "I'm Pappag. You guys don't seem to be around here." I looked at Yuuto again and he gave a sarcastic chuckle. "I should warn you these parts are plenty of kidnappers. You can earn a lot for trading fishmen."

"And mermaids." Yuuto added. We looked at him. Franky smacked his head as if realizing something and pat Yuuto's back in a comforting way.

What exactly was Yuuto's problem?

"Yes. And mermaids." Pappag gave Yuuto a look. Yuuto looked away and began whistling innocently. "Anyways, Hachi would have no doubt beating them. But since we are also dealing with the "Flying Fish Riders", the story's different."

"Who are they?" Franky asked.

"They're a bunch of kidnapping thugs." Pappag answerd. I saw Yuuto whispered something incoherently. Pappag didn't hear him and continued. "They're led by a man named 'Duval.' He's been searching for someone."

Well it seems that we have to beat this Duval guy.

* * *

 **Brook POV**

As I finished playing a song to keep Camie's spirits, Yuuto warned us that we were about 5 minutes away. He told Usopp and Franky to get some cannons ready. If they were anything like their name, they would actually have flying fish.

Sanji and Yuuto nodded at each other realizing they would take care of the aerial battle.

As we approached, Camie mentioned that they caught her 30 times. Camie was a naive girl.

Maybe I could ask her what panties she wore and I'd see them.

Oh wait, mermaids don't wear panties. I guess I couldn't take advantage of her naivete.

As we approached, we saw a cage and a black octopus.

Camie and Pappag acted as if they came in a good time. No one was around. It was quiet.

I see Yuuto banging his head. He said "This is obviously a trap. This is copied directly from a dummy guide."

Hearing about his profession and realizing the situations, I could understand his frustration. This was very basic and common knowledge.

"I'm here Camie. I'm fine. So don't worry." We heard Hacchin speak up.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "That voice and silhouette seems familiar."

Nami concentrated as if to get a better view. "Definitely looks kind of suspicious."

What's wrong?

Sanji then yelled. "Hey. How's Arlong doing?" Who was Arlong?

The black octopus then shouted back. "Huh? Arlong? They're still held by the marines. I broke out by myself. I managed to achieve my dream of opening a takoyaki stand."

"It really is you!" Zoro, Nami, and Sanji shouted.

"What's going on?" Robin asked.

"You guys mentioned Arlong before. I know that Nami hated Arlong. But that's not Arlong right." Yuuto spoke in a scary manner. "If it is..." He cracked some of his knuckles. "Allow me to try some torture techniques I've been reading about."

That seemed to distract Yuuto from when he didn't want to come here. Still, he didn't need to creep Chopper and me out.

Usopp, spooked out a little, gave a sigh. "Right. All of you guys weren't here. So Nami's hometown used to be ruled by the Arlong Pirates. That octopus was a lieutenant of the crew."

Yuuto continued cracking his knuckles. "That's the same crew who imprisoned her town since her childhood right? I always wanted to beat those guys up." Usopp nodded.

Robin gave a cold look toward Hachi as well. Chopper looked more serious. Franky didn't seem to change his facial expression, but he had joined about 4 days before I even joined. He wasn't close to Nami similar to how I wasn't close with the rest of the crew.

Still, he's an old enemy. Nami probably hated him. That's a problem. We were going to help Camie but now….

"If we had known that, there's no way we would have come to help you!" Luffy shouted. It seemed almost all of us agreed with this matter. We really valued the people in this crew a lot. That was a something I noticed throughout the crew. We all care about each other. "But..." There was a pause. "Is your takoyaki really good?" He asked so hungrily.

I guess my captain's priority is also food.

"Don't be so swayed because of your stomach." Sanji yelled.

"Right!" Luffy looked a little ashamed at that. "I forgot what he did to Nami."

Camie looked happy. "Could it be that you guys are friends with Hacchin?"

Zoro yelled at her angrily. "No." Sanji nodded at that. That's a first to see Sanji agree with Zoro. Yuuto glared at her. Yuuto was usually polite as well. This was really bad news.

Usopp nodded. "Turn around. We're not helping him." He told the rest of the crew. We nodded understanding the situation.

"Nami-chin!" Camie cried out.

"I'm sorry Camie. I never imagined that your friend would be that guy." Nami was quite in a pickle. She was thinking.

She pouted. "Then I'll save you myself." She then dived in. I saw Yuuto count to three. At three, she came up. "Ah! I got caught!"

Sanji shouted angrily. Sanji was really compassionate. She was not involved with what Arlong did and was completely innocent. She just knew the wrong person.

Nami sighed as if that convinced her. "It's fine. Let's save Hachi too." We all looked at her. "Hachi's fine. He's harmless." I looked at Nami. She seemed ok to forgive one of her early childhood oppressors. She gave us a thumbusp to all of us as if she's ok.

Yuuto then nodded he would help out. Chopper looked relieved.

Luffy then started speaking. "If you're fine with it, then we've got no choice." His eyes looked like takoyaki.

"Luffy!" Nami cried out unhappy that he was actually thinking about food.

At that moment, he reached out and grabbed Camie out from her captors. Zoro and I jumped from the ship to land on the small grove. The rest of the crew would take care of the ship.

"Zoro! Cut down the cage and the rope. Free Hachi." Luffy ordered.

At that moment, the Flying Fish riders came out. Sanji and Yuuto both started sky walking. The clouds also turned dark.

Nami then electrocuted the enemies. Sanji and Yuuto made sure not to sky walk too high. Luffy had grabbed one of the Fly Fish riders and put the driver off to the sea. He then started riding it. Soon enough, it took a dive to the sea.

Seeing my captain in danger, I jumped after him. I also heard Chopper coming in after me.

Problem with that was we can't swim because we ate devil fruits

When I resurfaced and saw Yuuto next to me. "It's ok to help. But we're in the middle of the fight right now." He punched my shoulder. "Don't make us work harder."

I nodded. But then I remembered someone else. "Chopper!" I cried out. I was about to go back in but Yuuto stopped me.

"Brook. We already got Chopper! I just..." He was annoyed.

'Right. Sorry." I apologized.

The captors soon tried to attack us but they were blocked by the octopus swordsman. He beat them pretty easily.

"Thank you Straw hats." Hachi said.

I didn't say anything. "We're only helping you because Nami said it was ok." Yuuto answered.

"I know. I don't expect to be forgiven for that." He bowed down. "Just let me help you guys once and you guys can continue hating me. I won't hurt you guys." Hachi responded.

At that moment, I kind of felt bad for the octopus. We were too hard on him. I looked over at Yuuto who seemed to consider those words as well.

I looked over and saw Usopp and Franky shooting down the enemies in the sky. Sanji was kicking them down. Nami, Chopper, and Robin took care of the enemies that got on the ship.

There were still too many. I ran back to the ship and jumped off the mast.

I couldn't let my first actual battle with all of the Strawhats end up as a disgrace.

 **Lullaby Fleche**

As I landed, I started running on water and slashed through the ones that slept.

Luffy got on one Flying Fish rider and crashed into the place.

I landed on the island. I saw Zoro panting beside me. He was still resting from his injuries.

Now that I think of it, I don't think he knows that I witnessed what he did.

"Zoro-san. It looks like you're still hurt." I told him. I stood up ready to cover for him.

"That's not going to matter against these fish. Don't worry about it." He mentioned. I can respect that as a swordsman.

I slashed through an incoming enemy who ran toward us. "Still. I will cover for you." It was the least I can do for the man who got my shadow back.

At that, Luffy started running toward us. A man in an iron mask on top of a giant bull started chasing after him. Just as the bull charged at him, Luffy stopped the bull.

Luffy gave a look and the bull retreated and fell over. Yuuto gasped. What was that power? I've never seen it before.

The man jumped down and started pointing at the crew. "I've wanted to meet you face to face. Sanji. I will kill you for what you've done to me recently."

This man was Sanji's enemy? Who was he?

I see everyone on the ship having a confused look.

Luffy kicked the mask. It revealed a face we knew.

The face on Sanji's bounty.

We all looked in shock. I laughed. "They look like each other." Zoro started. I agreed with what he said

Sanji ran over and kicked Duval's face. [1]

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

After we successfully rescued Hachi and Duval had his face changed, we went back to the ship. Hachi started preparing takoyaki as a reward for us.

I went to Luffy a little privately. "Luffy." He looked at me. "That was Conqueror's Haki." He looked at me confused. "What you did to that bull. To stop him by causing him to faint. That was Conqueror's Haki."

People with Conqueror's Haki are people who are abnormally strong and will influence the world in some way.

"I finally unlocked a form of Haki!" Luffy shouted. I congratulated him. "Maybe I'll unlock Observation Haki or Armament Haki next." Zoro and Sanji looked impressed. They had seen the other forms of Haki.

"That Haki, only one in a several million will have it." I recounted. "I have seen Conqueror's Haki used in two ways, use your will to dominate other weak willed people like that bull. Two, you could constantly release it affecting the other physical objects."

Luffy nodded but I understood that he didn't really get it. I wasn't a good mentor to Luffy, but there were certain things he could learn. "We should train your will. Unfortunately, I don't know how to train Conqueror's Haki." The only person I personally met that I knew had Conqueror's Haki had died a while ago.

Some of my crew nodded and continued to wait for Hachi to make takoyaki. I sat with Nami who didn't want to be next to Hachi to keep her company.

I gave a sigh. I treated him pretty harshly, but when he talked to me when we were rescuing him, he sounded that he regretted what he did to Nami.

Hearing that kind of reminds me of myself.

I doubt the crimes I committed in the past about kidnappings would ever be forgiven. Ever since I was sixteen and became a Chaser, I've been forced to enslave and ruin so many lives. Yes, I protected the World Nobles and royalty during Reverie or whenever they came to Mary Geoise. Yes, I stole from banks and museums before. But there comes a certain limit when you mess with other people's lives. Sending the merfolk to serve to the World Nobles. Forcing people to be a World Noble's wife or husband or perhaps even worse, unwilling organ donors. Hunting down longarms, long legs, and snake necks so they can be entertainment for those pieces of trash.

It was a complete contrast to what I did as a child. As a child, I actually saw first hand those who were imprisoned and sneaked food to give to them. Ever since I became a Chaser, I compromised who I was for the World Nobles and the Underworld.

I glanced over at Camie. Seeing her happily working on the stand unaware of the risk she would be in made me happy that I never caught a mermaid.

I gave a sigh. That's been my dream on this ship to be forgiven of what I did. Being a pirate has helped me live more peacefully with myself because ironically, I've done more good as a pirate than being a Chaser.

Unfortunately, I don't want to go back to Sabody because there are plenty of those slave houses that I did business for.

Hearing the regret in Hachi's voice reminded me of what I was looking for on this ship. As Camie started serving us, I took a bite. I noticed that Nami breathed and then ate one.

"Nami." I started. She looked at me. "If Hachi really apologized for what he did, would you forgive him?" I was secretly talking about myself.

She looked at me. "I'm not sure." She gave me a look. "I heard that you said earlier that you wanted to punch him. What's the change now?"

I gave a sigh. "He reminds me of myself." I truthfully replied.

Nami looked at me. "But you're not like what his crew did."

"That's not true." I countered. "Once we go to Sabody Archipelago, you'll truly see the stuff I did for the World Nobles. The kidnappings I mentioned before." I felt guilty bringing that up. It was true and they did need to know about me.

"So that's why you didn't want to go? If you don't want to go, I'm sure there has to be another way." She offered.

"It's fine." I interrupted. "It's the only safe way for us to go to Fish-man Island." I had to face my past sooner or later. The rest of the crew were going to know the full extent of my actions.

"Um… How is it?… ummm… Nami?" Hachi asked us nervously. He was sweating a lot. At that, I noticed how at the booth, Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji also started sweating.

She gave him a harsh look. "… You know this doesn't mean I forgive you or anything right..." I gave a sigh at that, understanding why. Some wounds are too deep. I probably wasn't going to be forgiven any time soon. I looked at the booth again. The members before me must have truly known what Nami went through to realize how awkward it was between Nami and Hachi.

"No. No. Of course not. I didn't mean that. I just wanted to know if you liked the taste…. Honest." I looked at Hachi and pitied him. I was going to act like that if I met someone I captured.

She then smiled at him. "It's delicious."

"Really." He called out. He was happy to hear that. However after that praise, he continued his work, giving Nami a couple glances.

I looked sympathizing with Hachi, guilty of what my initial thoughts were. I wonder if I would ever find proper atonement. [2]

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

Sabaody Part 1

When we were getting closer to Sabaody, I told the crew that we needed to find a coating engineer. Hachi mentioned that he knew a guy he could trust. He also said there was one condition. I nodded at that.

"In this town," Hachi started. "be careful of the World Nobles. We do not engage with the World Nobles." I agreed with that statement wholeheartedly. I did not want to meet them nor did I want them to figure out who I was.

I had already dyed my hair to yellow and wore blue-eyed contacts. I gave myself fake scars on my cheeks so that I wouldn't be easily identified. I even put a yellow chin strap beard. "I suggest we wear disguises again." I sighed when only Nami, Usopp, Robin, and Franky decided to. The others didn't really see a need to.

I was going to go with Camie, Hachi, Luffy, Chopper, and Brook to meet the coating engineer. Nami and Robin were going to go shopping. Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Franky were going to stay on the ship and protect it.

After making sure we all wore our watches and Luffy his necklace, we all set off. As we made our way, I looked at the rundown bar.

Shakky's Ripoff Bar.

Shakky? Isn't that one of the nicknames of the legendary pirate 40 years ago.

When we entered in, I saw her. She looked the same in her bounty. She was beating two customers up. She had a bounty of at 720 million if I remember correctly.

She exclaimed when she saw Hachi. "Hacchan!" He blushed. "Take a seat and wait. I was just extracting some money from these guys." I gulped. I remember reading that she really loved taking money from her enemies.

When she sat down, she started talking with Hachi and caught up with him. The rest of us waited by the counter. I stared at her interested. She noticed. "Oh That's right. I have guests. Do you guys want anything to drink?" I politely declined but saw the Luffy and Brook already eating.

"You guys. We're guests here." I scolded my crew for the lack of manners. Chopper nodded. I bowed. "I apologize on behalf of my crew." I was careful about my manners especially with a legendary pirate.

"It's fine. Do as you like." She looked at Chopper. "Here, this is for you." She handed him some cotton candy which Chopper took excitedly.

I glanced at him to remind him to say thanks which he noticed. "Thanks!" He quickly cried out.

Shakky smiled and looked at me. "Thanks for being polite. Not many pirates care about being polite these days."

I looked away. "It's just common courtesy." It wasn't a big deal especially being in front of the Spider's Kiss.

"Hmm. Are you 'Scheming Fox'?" I tried to remain calm at that and not give away my identity. If word gets found out, I would be in quite a predicament.

I was about to deny it, but Luffy nodded. "Yeah. How did you know Yuuto's secret identity?" I sighed. I kept it a secret for a reason especially now. "How did you even know what Chopper likes?" I thought about that. I didn't even consider that. I smiled happy that Luffy was becoming more observant.

I wonder how long he would take to realize that Nami likes him. Then again, I think Nami's doing a good job hiding it in front of the entire crew.

Shakky started smoking and walked behind the counter. "You're Monkey D. Luffy, the captain right?" He nodded happily that he was getting some recognition. I was curious about this. She was a big shot pirate paying attention to us. "Of course, I know you guys. You guys are getting notorious and I'm a well-informed person in this world." I nodded assuming it had to do with her past life.

I decided to tell them. "If I remember correctly, you're Shakuyaku, 'The Spider's Kiss' with a bounty of 720 million beris." She nodded to confirm the story. [3]

"Not bad. Chaser." I gulped at that. I heard seemed to be some hidden animosity there. She knew what we did.

"I don't want to be known as that anymore." I said that regretfully and looked down at that remembering my actions here. She looked at me curiously at that.

"Then why keep the mask?" She asked.

I paused. "To remember my mom." I said. The fact that it was a fox comforted me. "And I guess to remind myself of what I did before." I said the last part guiltily.

She nodded. "I see. Well, you're not a bad kid." She sounded a lot nicer. "You don't seem like the Chasers I had fought against before. They loved whatever they did." I gulped at that and bowed my head. I agreed with that. I was probably the only Chaser who actually had a conscious about what I was doing. The others enjoyed it. I felt a little better hearing her say that and she didn't have any hidden animosity anymore.

She then looked at my captain. "I read about Enies Lobby. How much of it is true? Did you really start a fight with the government?" I was quite surprised how well informed she was and kept up with us. I was going to tell Luffy to follow her example.

"I don't want to talk about it."

She smiled even wider. "No boasting. I like that. You even have the same name as Garp from the marines."

"Yeah, because he's my grandpa." Luffy said happily. I laughed. When Garp was with us, Luffy wasn't happy talking to his grandpa, but when Garp's not around, he's happy talking about him. It did show that Luffy did love his grandpa in a certain way.

"I knew it. You know Garp's come after me before over 40 years ago." She stated.

"Lady, how old are you?" Luffy immediately asked. On one hand, I wanted to facepalm because you never ask that to a woman, but on the other hand, I had that question in my mind too. I was just happy he was the one asking what I didn't dare ask.

She took a breath that sounded a little annoyed. "Right now, I'm looking forward to cheering rookies like you." I chuckled hearing that response. That was a nice way of avoiding the question.

"By the way, Shakki." Hachi asked.

"No. I get it." Shakky put her hand up as if predicting what was going to happen next. She had good intuition. "You want Rayleigh to do the coating right?" Hachi nodded. I perked up hearing that. Rayleigh? That couldn't be Gold Roger's First Mate. There's no way we're meeting another legendary pirate here. "Unfortunately, he's not here. You could look for him in the bars and gambling houses."

Luffy cried out. "Why can't we wait here? He'll come back right?" I nodded agreeing with Luffy's logic. His logic was getting better.

"He hasn't come back for six months now." She blew a smoke out. "He's probably been meeting women and shacking up here and there." I heard some hidden resentment there. I guess these two have a relationship. "I guess it's just what former pirates do."

I gasped in shock. Chopper asked. "He was a pirate too?"

"Is he..." Hachi mentioned his name before.

Brook interrupted me so I didn't finish asking my question. "I suppose we could search for him."

"Go ahead." She said that as nonchalantly as she could. "Be careful. There are 11 pirates on Sabaody Arcipelago with bounties over 100 million. Sorry Fox you don't count, but you're on the edge." I sighed a little disappointed. I still had some pride about how strong I was. I was just relieved my bounty picture wasn't updated.

Chopper exclaimed. "That's 9 others other than Luffy and Zoro?" I was curious in meeting them. This place was common to meet a bunch of pirates before they entered the New World. I wonder who from the newspaper I read was here. It would be nice to meet our competition.

Shakky nodded. "There's Luffy, Kidd, Hawkins, Drake, Law, Apoo, Killer, Zoro, Bonney, Bege, and Urouge." I nodded recognizing all those names. Most of them attacked civilians and killed many people. Drake was an ex-marine. Bonney never got any civilians involved and most of her attacks always hurt the World Government in some way. Bege was a former hitman that Chasers were warned about because of his success rate. Urouge only fought against pirates who provoked him.

"Luffy. You're the highest bounty out of all of them." I praised my captain happy that his bounty was for a noble reason. I had already hurt too many civilians as a Chaser so the fact that my captain didn't do anything to hurt civilians was nice.

Luffy blushed at the praise. Shakky nodded. "That's right. I'm rooting for you guys the most because most of the others hurt civilians."

Luffy nodded. "Wow. All these strong pirates around make me worried about our craftsman."

Shakky laughed. "Don't worry. He's about … " She paused and gauged our strength. She must be able to use observation Haki. "ninety…. times stronger than you guys." [4]

I raised my eyebrows. "Is he -?" Was my suspicion right?

I was dragged off by Luffy before I finished asking my question. "Time's wasting. Let's go find him!" He took off outside. Brook and Chopper followed us.

As we made our way outside, I stopped. "Wait." Let me ask who he is. I came back in by myself. She looked at me. "Is he Silvers Rayleigh?" I asked She smirked and nodded. I breathed calmly. We were going to meet the Dark King.

"Oh my Oda. We're meeting the Dark King!" I shouted excitedly realizing the implications. It was a good thing I came back in to ask otherwise it could have been troublesome. That actually made it easier to identify who he is. To meet the first mate of the man who inspired the Golden age of Pirates is pretty huge. You are meeting in a sense one of the forefathers of piracy. Even though Gold Roger gets most of the credit, Rayleigh would be the next best person to meet.

"He's actually trying to live a quiet life." She warned in an amused way. I glowered not because I was acting like a fanboy. There was just an immense respect I had for meeting such an important figure for piracy.

I nodded and respected that. It was similar to how I kept my identity a secret. I gave her my thanks. I decided not to tell my crew curious about what their reaction would be. It's funnier that way. As I made my way out, I saw the others waiting for me. They looked at me curiously. "It's nothing. Anyways, I asked her about a description about the old man." I stretched the truth. I wonder how they would react when they realized who it was.

I was about to elaborate on it. Usopp came on our communication system. _"Eh guys."_

" _Is there a problem Usopp?"_ Nami joined in. Luffy, Chopper, and Brook looked worried. We wouldn't use our communication system unless it's a big problem.

" _Sanji's cooking for someone."_ I raised my eyebrows. That's normally not a problem. Maybe it's like a lady problem. I would only worry about Sanji if he was cooking to a princess or a queen. A king would not want someone like Sanji close to his wife or daughter.

" _And that's supposed to worry us because?"_ I asked. Silently, I prayed that Sanji wasn't cooking for some royalty or a World Noble.

" _It's Jewelry Bonney."_ I groaned hearing that. I forgot about her and the others. Nami and Usopp thankfully started paying more attention to the news so they could recognize people too. _"I'm trying to get Sanji away from her but he needs more convincing. I put him on a different frequency for a reason. Also, Bege is in the restaurant we're in."_ Great, a fight breaks out between two pirate crews because someone was putting the moves on a captain…. The hitman pirate crew joins in.

" _Weren't you guys on the ship?"_ I asked. Well, at least my crew was meeting our competition/ rivals for Luffy.

" _Actually, me and Franky are still on the ship. They -"_ Zoro reported in.

I interrupted. _"Actually never mind that, I'm on my way. Luffy, Chopper, and Brook will find the coating engineer."_ I continued.

" _Nami and I will stay where we are. Maybe we can help find the coating engineer."_ Robin came on. _"Any description about the coating engineer?"_

I smirked. _"He's got a scar on his eye and he wears glasses."_ That's what I would think he would still have. _"His facial hair is arranged in rows across his lower jaw."_

Brook suddenly spoke up. _"It's ok. Hachi says he knows what he looks like. He would also like to add that he has white hair now._ _The name's Rayleigh._ _"_

" _Maybe we could call the Flying Fish Riders to watch our ship for us."_ Franky offered.

I smiled and started walking toward where I sensed Usopp and Sanji. Maybe we could form an alliance with these other Supernovas. We should try an alliance with Urouge, Bonney, and Drake because they typically did not hurt civilians. Everyone else I would have a problem with.

 **Usopp POV**

A few moments earlier

Sanji was going to buy more food and I was going to buy whatever I felt I needed for my possible bullets. Sanji would let me use the rotten parts of vegetables and fruits for my inventions.

As we made our way together, we were about to pass a restaurant. A chef had run out. He started panting. "I can't cook anymore." I saw Sanji raised his eyebrows at that. "The longer I continue cooking at this restaurant, the more likely I am going to die by those hungry pirates. If only the marines were here." Those words would make Sanji feel that he is needed.

Sanji sighed and entered the restaurant. It was a similar look he gave when he heard about Gin. I ran inside and I heard a voice cry out for more food. Even though the voice was rough, I knew it was a woman's voice. Seeing what he was about to do, I tried to stop him "Hey don't get involved. They're pirates remember." I hoped he didn't realize it was a woman pirate.

Sanji looked at me fiercely. "It's a chef's duty to feed hungry customers." He tried to look inside to see who said that. "It's even more of my duty to feed a woman." I facepalmed he knew it was a woman. He saw a waiter. "Oi. Do you need help feeding those pirates?" The waiter nodded. "I'm a first rate chef. Lead me to you kitchen." At that, the waiter led him in.

I sighed. "I hope this doesn't give us trouble." I asked the server for permission to wait inside and saw two people that I recognized on the newspaper. Jewelry Bonney and Capone Bege.

I came to the kitchen. "Sanji!" I yelled. He looked at me annoyed. "You're cooking for ruthless pirates with bounties over 100 million." He gave me a blank look and continued kneading the dough he was working on. I grimaced remembering this was just like Baratie. Only this time, the threat was much scarier.

I used our communication system and told them the situation. Yuuto was going to come in. I breathed thinking what I could do to not cause trouble.

Normally Sanji cooking for people wouldn't be a problem. He can take care of himself. However, if we start fighting with a pirate crew because Sanji flirted with a captain, that's something we can easily avoid. I looked at Bonney one more time. She looked mean but when I saw her body, I gulped. Sanji would flirt with her.

Just as Sanji came out to serve food, I ran up to him. "I'll take that."

He looked at me. "It's my responsibility as a chef to make sure my client gets my food."

Using my quick thinking, I boldly claimed."No it's not. You are supposed to cook food for them. Let me take that. You can cook food faster that way." I grabbed onto the plate of pizza. He didn't let go at first but he let go. As soon as he let go, I pushed him back into the kitchen doors and made my way to Bonney's table. I was happy that I had a job as a waiter back home.

"Wait Usopp." I froze, afraid he changed his mind, and turned to him. I saw his head out the doors. "It's for her." I nodded and we went our separate ways. I knew it was for her. I know you well enough Sanji.

"Here you go Miss." I was happy that I was wearing a disguise. "That's one pepperoni pizza for you. The cook is making more just in case." I bowed before her.

Bonney grabbed a slice and a piece of chicken eating both of them at the same time. I was surprised; I met someone who had worse table manners than Luffy. She ordered. "That's not enough pizza!" I sighed at that and went away.

I overheard one of her crew members say. "Captain, they're going as fast as they can." I felt a little happy to be defended by that.

I heard her bang her feet on the table. "Well then, they need to go faster! More pizza!" I gulped and ran to the kitchen door.

I went in to the kitchen. "Sanji! We need a lot of pizza for her. Can you make at least 10 pizzas at once?" I asked.

"There's five pizzas over there. Again for her." He quickly responded.

I was surprised. It seemed that he was only cooking for her. "Hey Sanji. How come you're not cooking for the other pirate?" I asked. I was relieved because I had seen one of his crew members stabbed over. I quickly looked away to not make eye contact with him.

At that, he smiled perversely. "Because he's not a woman but the other is. I hope that I do a great job that she'll want to meet me." He daydreamed at that. I groaned; how did he have a sensor for this kind of stuff.

I hurried my way grabbing the pizzas and made my way to her. "Here you go Miss."

One crew mate stopped me. "Eh. That pizza came out way too fast."

Another one of her crew member looked. "Eh. Captain Bonney, that pizza might be undercooked. Don't eat that."

"No it's not. In fact." She took another bite and continued chewing. "It's even better than the earlier pizzas." I was happy that I could understand what she was saying while eating. Luffy gave me enough practice. She then burped that could compete with Luffy. "It's the best pizza I've ever had." I smiled in pride for Sanji hearing that. She looked at me and banged her feet at the table. "More pizza!"

I ran back to the kitchen. "Oi Sanji!" I still felt the need to tell him.

"What?"

"She said it was the best pizza she ever had."

I swear I saw Sanji float in the air without using Geppo and continue cooking like a mad man.

55 pizzas later

A loud burp echoed the room.

"That was the best pizza I've ever had." She then licked her lips around her mouth and rubbed her tummy. She gave a similar look of happiness when Luffy ate a lot.

Around her were at least 200 dishes of all sorts of food. Her crew members looked pretty stoic at this as if this was a normal occurrence. Sanji had come out and looked in shock. Her body seemed to maintain the same figure.

Just to be clear, when he first saw her from the kitchen, he did have hearts in his eyes and his legs were all squirmy.

However, he saw her table manners and the amount that she ate, he was a little put off. She then licked her fingers which grossed Sanji out because of her manners.

Bonney gave him a look. "Are you the cook?" He nodded. She gave him a smile "Come over, I have an offer for you."

At that, Sanji screamed happily. "Yes my lady!" with hearts in his eyes. I sighed he was back to normal. I heard the door open and Yuuto finally arrived. He walked up to where I was.

"Do you know who I am?" Bonney asked him. He shook his head. That surprised me because I thought he would pay attention to any female pirates out there. "I am Jewelry 'The Glutton' Bonney with a bounty of 140 million. I would like you to join my crew as a cook." She smiled at him which caused Sanji to go a little crazy. "What do you say?"

Yuuto and I were about to refuse for Sanji but Sanji answered without hesitating. "Sorry beautiful. I'm the cook for another pirate crew." At that, we both breathed in relief. We both thought he was going to join her. I suppose it was good to see that he refused a woman.

I gasped. Luffy was more important to Sanji than some woman? I snickered at the thought of telling Sanji that. I gasped when I realized he would feed me those cursed mushrooms in my meal if I told him that. I hate mushrooms.

I'll keep that to myself.

She laughed at that. "Really." She then thought about it. "Well, don't worry I'm not like most pirates who would steal crew members." Yuuto relaxed a little bit more. "Just curious what pirate crew are you and your friends under?" She pointed at us.

Just as I was about to say that it was my pirate crew, Sanji smiled. "The Straw Hats." I almost lost my balance but still that works. We proudly stood.

She narrowed her eyes slightly at that. "Oh." She paused. "Who are you?" She looked at us two and thought a bit. "You don't have Sogeking's nose. So that must make you 'Scheming Fox' ?" She blushed a little at that.

I suppose that made sense. Sanji's bounty picture doesn't look like him at all and she respected my distinct nose. Sanji cried a little. "I'm actually Sanji. The Black Leg." I looked at Yuuto but Yuuto didn't seem to want to reveal himself.

"Oh." She paused as if realizing this was the real Sanji. "Well..." At that, Sanji seemed a little angry and embarrassed about that. "Well, thanks for the meal." That didn't seem to be what she originally meant to say. At the door, before she left, she continued. "The bounty doesn't show how handsome you look." She winked at him suggestively. "Maybe, I'll see you in the New World." She then quickly left and her crew followed her. [5]

That made Sanji's day. Sanji saw me and Yuuto and bragged in front of us. "Hear that Yuuto. I win this round."

Yuuto looked at me confused. "I don't even know what you're talking about." I was slightly confused but remember how much Sanji envied Yuuto's ability to have girls interested in him. I shrugged. Yuuto didn't really care about it.

The restaurant staff then rushed us away. "Go away. This restaurant isn't a charity." We looked confused. "We're a business. That woman left without paying. At least Capone Bege left money and a generous tip." Yuuto and I groaned hearing that. Sanji flinched a little and left some money on the restaurant.

We all quickly ran out knowing that he didn't have enough money to cover the entire cost of Bonney's meal. I can't believe that Sanji not only cooked for her but also paid for her meal.

As we ran for five minutes, we started breathing heavily. Chopper's voice came on our system. _"Guys. We have a bigger problem now. Camie's been kidnapped."_ Yuuto's face looked guilty when he heard that.

" _Great. This is when I just lost Zoro!"_ Franky shouted. Yuuto started rubbing his forehead.

" _You're the one who's lost Franky!"_ Zoro shouted back.

 **Zoro POV**

A few moments earlier

After the Flying Fish Riders arrived to our ship, Franky and I were going to help find this coating engineer. This engineer sounded like an old weak guy.

"Zoro!" Franky said. "The ship is on grove 41." We got on the gangplank.

"Grove 1." I corrected. Did he know how to read?

"No. It's grove 41." He pointed it out to me.

"Did the ship move?" I asked. I could have sworn it was on grove 1.

Franky smacked his head. "No." He then turned on the watches. "Let's look in groves 20-30. Usopp, Sanji, and Yuuto won't be looking over there because they have to take care of Sanji's situation." I nodded, leading the way. I swear Curly Brow was going to drag us and cause more trouble than necessary.

"Zoro- bro." He sounded annoyed for some strange reason. I looked at him. "Look at this sign."

I read it. "Oh." I then walked the other way toward where groves 20-30 were.

As we made our way, I saw a lean man with a cocked hat leap in to stop a fight between a masked man and a large and very muscular man. I grinned. These people looked strong.

"Zoro." Franky grabbed me. "It's best not to draw attention here. Especially not so close with the marines."

"Tch. Got it." I was slightly annoyed. Yuuto and Hachi had warned us about trouble here. If they were so worried, they shouldn't have brought Luffy down the ship. That was just a disaster waiting to happen.

I heard a voice. "Eh. That's Pirate Hunter Zoro from the Straw Hat crew." It was the large muscular man. They had stopped to look at us. Franky stared at them as well.

The man that stopped the fight nodded. "So he's another Supernova that's not a captain."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was curious what they meant by Supernova. It sounded like a compliment.

The man in the helmet sighed. "We're pirates with a bounty of over 100 million. Me and you are the only ones who are not captains." I smiled at that. Yuuto was almost there while Swirly Brow idiot wasn't even close to our level. "Says a lot about our captains." He added. I think I remember him now. His name was Killer. His crew stood out to me.

I didn't particularly liked how their crew was excessively violent but then that's what the newspapers said.

The large muscular man looked at me. "It does say a lot about his captain." He pointed at me. "He's the first mate and he doesn't look like a guy who follows orders." He looked at Killer. "You look like the type to follow orders."

Killer took out the scythes attached to his arms. "That's because my captain Kidd will be the man who becomes Pirate King. I would gladly follow that."

I laughed out loud at that. At that moment, Franky, trusting my strength, continued walking away. The other two ignored that. "I'm sorry." I took a while to catch my breath. That was funny. "My captain will be Pirate King." I made eye contact with Killer. [6]

Killer growled at me as if to challenge me and we had an intense stare down. It was our goal to make sure our captain fulfilled the dream.

A random voice called out. "Everyone. Get out of the way! The World Noble is coming!" I was confused and curious. I was going to meet one of Yuuto's employers. Everyone stood out of the way and bowed down.

I shrugged and continued walking by myself. I'll see him on the way. I bumped into a man who was wearing an air bubble. He looked lost. "Are you lost or something?"

Apparently, that scared him so he shot me. Angry that he didn't want to receive my help, I dodged and defended myself ready to slash him. Franky who was nearby looked in shock what I was about to do.

However, a little girl with pink hair and a hat jumped at me and made me fall to the ground. She quickly cried on top of me. "Big Brother. Why did you die? It can't be helped that you died to a World Noble." She glared at me to stay still. I then felt her put ketchup on top of my head.

As the World Noble walked away, she started scolding me. She became older and reached my height. "What the hell were you doing? Did you want to bring an admiral down on the islands. If you're a pirate, you should know what would bring trouble to you." I looked confused.

"What was that?" I was still confused about why there was ketchup and her ability.

"Are you right in the head?" She asked.

Franky came up to me. "I don't think he ever was. We're lucky that we didn't cause trouble." He looked at her to thank her.

"I'm not hurt." I wasn't sure what they meant.

"You idiot. That's not what I'm talking about." She yelled. She reminded me of a little like Nami. They had similar tempers. She looked at me closer. "So you're Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro." She paused. "Of the Straw Hats." She whispered the last part. I was confused.

"I'm sorry do you know us?" Franky asked out loud.

She looked a little embarrassed. "I met some of your crew. They cooked for me. Consider it even." I scoffed at that. I grumbled it was that stupid cook. I looked over and saw some guy who got shot. I leaned over to him.

"Hey where's the hospital?" I asked her because she seemed to know what was going on. I put the guy over my shoulder. "I'll take this guy. He got shot."

She stopped looking at me embarrassed and looked a little angrily. "What? You should leave him." I ignored that and kept walking. Franky followed after me. "Hm. A pirate saving someone. I've never heard of something like that." Before I got out of earshot, I heard her mumble something. It sounded something like "I guess that's what make the Straw Hats a special crew."

I smirked at that hearing that. Of course, we were a special crew. We were the crew of the future Pirate King.

We made it to the hospital without a problem. The only problem was I couldn't find Franky.

Did he get lost again?

 **Robin POV**

After I explained the history of discrimination of fishmen to Nami, I asked to see if anyone had heard of the coating engineer we were looking for. It would have been easier for a name.

As I finished asking around, I saw Nami give a solemn look. She had been quiet. I wonder how she felt now knowing about how the fish men went through.

"Nami?" I asked to check on her. She didn't respond. "Nami. I told you that because you also needed to know the history of what happened before." She kept quiet. "I'm not saying that you need to forgive the fish men who took over your town. I'm just telling you so you can understand."

I had noticed the apologetic stares that Hachi had given to Nami which Nami ignored. I understood why Yuuto was so hesitant in coming here because of all the slave houses here. It was reminding him of what he did in the past. It was also the reason why he talked to Nami understanding Hachi's perspective.

Yuuto and Hachi both lived with regret. I think Yuuto wanted to see if someone who he forced to slavery to would forgive him. That's if he could find one.

Nami nodded and turned around, not seeing the man behind him.

"Sorry!" She squeaked out. I run by her side and saw the fierce man in a ponytail. I was ready to defend her.

"Why you should-" the man she bumped into angrily replied. He took a sword out.

His captain stopped him. "Wait." He looked at his cards. I widened my eyes realizing who this was. Basil Hawkins with a 249 million bounty. "That was your fate today." He looked both at me and Nami. "Sorry for startling you. It's a bad day for new acquaintances." He shuffled his cards and looked at both of us.

He then took a card out. We waited. He revealed to us a tarot card of people saying good-byes."You should say your good-byes. You will soon separate from your loved ones." We paused. "Don't worry." He continued. He pulled another card revealing the same people coming together with riches to bring. "The experience will make you become stronger." He stared at us more as if to analyze who we are. [7]

Nami, who was creeped out, tugged me to leave. I followed after. Once we were far away, Nami asked, "Do you know who that was? I forgot his name."

I nodded. "Basil Hawkins. 'The Magician.' He has a bounty of 249 million." Nami freaked out a little hearing that. I didn't tell her that he was known for his prophetic abilities. I didn't want to trouble her mind even more.

Besides, it wasn't like he was always accurate with his predictions. He could be wrong.

Chopper's voice came on our system. _"Guys. We have a big problem now. Camie's been kidnapped."_ We both looked at each other and we nodded.

" _Great. This is when I just lost Zoro!"_ Franky shouted.

" _You're the one who's lost Franky!"_ Zoro shouted back.

" _We were at the hospital. How could you be lost after the hospital?_ " Franky countered.

" _That's not important."_ Sanji started. _"What's important is that we're missing Camie! How could you_ guys _let her disappear?"_

Nami sighed hearing that. _"Calm down Sanji-kun."_

" _Ok. Nami swan!"_

Annoyed, Nami mouthed the words "That's why you're so easy to be taken advantage." to me which I laughed.

Chopper started. " _We got distracted. Luffy and I saw cotton candy."_ I chuckled at that. _"Brook got into an argument with a man who turned his body into a clarinet and a keyboard."_

" _Sorry. That was saxaphone. He was playing off tune. I needed to complain because that was music that he was boasting about. His music was not that good"_ [8]

Yuuto answered, annoyed, barked out. _"That's not important. We meet at Grove 1. That's probably where Camie's going to be."_

I sighed understanding why. _"Why would you know that?"_ Sanji asked.

" _Because. If I were still a Chaser, I would take her to the most popular slave house around here."_ Yuuto said. [9]

All of us went silent at that.

* * *

AN:

[1]

I made this part Brook's POV so that we can learn more of what he thinks about the crew and for some development

[2]

Yep. This arc is going to explore Yuuto's past a little bit more. Read carefully, you can pick some parts up especially here in Sabaody.

Another underrated aspect is Nami's interaction back with Hachi. I think that needs to be highlighted as well.

[3]

This is my idea of what her epithet as of Chapter 930. If her epithet is released and I like her nickname more, I will change it.

[4]

In the manga at the time, Rayleigh's 100 times stronger. So Luffy's only slightly stronger than he was compared to now.

[5] There's Bonney and Bege

I have important plans for her in my story. I already have a background in mind for her. She has a better impression of the Strawhats this time for a reason. When it's revealed, I hope it makes sense. Expect to see this in the **very far distant** future.

She'll meet the Strawhats again. This is probably on a better note.

I would love to see how Oda writes Sanji meeting Bonney. That's something I'm actually kind of looking forward to.

For Bege, I think Usopp would get along with Bege but they didn't talk because Usopp was trying to make sure Sanji didn't talk to Bonney.

[6]

I felt the need to do a rivalry moment between Zoro and Killer seeing that Luffy and Kidd already have one in the manga. I feel the Kidd pirates and the Strawhat pirates should have a friendly rivalry.

[7]

I felt Hawkins meeting Nami and Robin and acting like a fortune teller was a nice touch. Hawkins actually seems like he would get along with both of them.

[8]

You should be able to guess who it is. Expect more interactions between those Brook and the musician of the Supernovas in the future.

[9]

He's worked with Disco and that was implied when I mentioned the kidnapping he did and Doflamingo's jolly back when I made Yuuto fight Bellamy.

It took a while since Alabasta I mentioned he kidnapped people, but Sabaody was the place to actually explore Yuuto's past.

Anyways, I hope you like the interactions I made with the straw hats and the supernovas. The other supernovas will have certain interactions between certain members of the Strawhats in a way I think that works. I am going to say that the Supernovas and their crews will have an interesting dynamic with the Strawhats. It will range from friends to friendly rivals to enemies.

Urouge and Drake would get along with different members of the Strawhats. We will also see them interact with them in the distant future. The timing is not yet.

Again, feel free to leave a review about what you liked and disliked. A review about what you may hope to see next etc. A review about what to improve on in my story.

All of these reviews are just meant for me to use as a way to write a better story.

Thanks!

Until next time,


	29. Chapter 29 End of Sabaody

End of Sabaody

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or chapter 932 which is not out yet. Go read chapter 931.

I'm following up immediately from the last chapter. Here's hoping you guys like some minor changes for Sabaody.

This was a tough chapter for me to write.

* * *

 _Previous Chapter_

" _Because. If I were still a Chaser, I would take her to the most popular slave house around here."_ Yuuto said.

All of us went silent at that.

 **Robin POV**

After that moment of silence, I sighed. Zoro started connecting the ideas. _"Wait, you mean..."_ To be fair to Yuuto, he did tell us what he did. Most of us didn't know how severe this was.

" _That's not important right now. We'll talk after we rescue Camie. We go now! They normally start the auction at 4 pm. She'll be the last one."_ Yuuto must have done business with the establishment.

I begin talking. " _Me and Nami are on our way now."_ We were at Grove 4 so we were kind of close. We started running toward that direction.

" _Wait._ _It's called Disco's Slave House. If you want to enter in, pretend you're going to buy her._ _"_ Yuuto warned us. _"_ _It's less trouble that way."_

" _What?"_ Nami asked a little surprised.

" _That's how things work here._ _Do we have at least_ _3_ _00 million?_ _"_ Yuuto replied back.

" _You mean to tell me."_ She continued. We were all going to see what the full extent of Yuuto did in his past. We made it to Grove 2 and continued our way. I looked at Nami to tell her not to press further.

" _It's how they work ok. I quit that lifestyle a while ago."_ After a pause. _"I'll think of a backup plan later. Our first plan is to buy her back. If we try to break her out now, she'll be in danger unless we get her cuffs off."_

" _I got something in mind."_ Franky said. _"Me and Zoro will be there in 5 more minutes."_

Now we were in Grove 1. I see the sign; I pointed it out to Nami. Before I walked over, I looked at Nami. She seemed shaken up about Yuuto. I sighed before telling. "He didn't like talking about it. He wanted to be known as a bodyguard. That sounded better." Nami nodded. Yuuto was similar to me in the sense we had done things we were not proud of. He never asked me and I never asked him exactly what he did. It was like an old wound. "You have little to worry about. It doesn't change who he is." Nami shook her head at that. She started walking over to the door. "If you have a problem with his past, you would have a slight problem with mine as well." I whispered that part truthfully.

Honestly, I didn't know who committed more crimes me or him? We never talked about our previous job and what we did.

I helped attempt to take over a country, purchased illegal products, and stole many things.

If he was a Black Chaser, he must have kidnapped at least hundreds of people, worked for the Underworld, and protected people who would be worse than Crocodile.

Nami started confronting the guards at the gate. "Is it true that you guys are selling a mermaid here?" She seemed to have found her resolve. The guards nodded. "Give her back. You don't have any rights to sell her." I sighed expecting what to happen next.

"You're the ones who don't have any rights here. If you make trouble we will take legal action against you." I raised my eyebrows at that. The government was working alongside that.

"It's taboo to buy and sell people. How much are you bribing the government?" Nami countered.

One guard smiled at that. "How impolite of you to ask. Just to let you know, when they come over here, the words "slave trade" never come up. They appear to be completely unaware of business." I suspected that was the reason why Yuuto warned us for it to be easier.

Nami sighed. I put my hand on Nami and gave her a look to remind her what Yuuto said. "Alright. Fine. We'll play by your rules." I nodded and followed. When the two of us walked, she whispered. "So this is who Yuuto worked for?" I nodded. "I never would have guessed. Yuuto would have opposed this."

I agreed. "That's why he's never mentioned this directly to us." Nami looked at me for saying that. It was something I was under the impression of. "Why do you think he's had that dream for forgiveness?" His past was different from all of ours. He felt regret because of what he did while what happened to us was not our fault. "We should be happy that he's no longer in this line of work." Nami nodded at that.

We sat in some seats and I scouted the area. I saw two World Nobles in a special seat.

" _Yuuto. We got two World Nobles here."_ I reported. I felt Yuuto needed to know.

" _Damn it. We need to get the keys then. Don't bother auctioning for it. They'll want the mermaid."_ Yuuto reported. _"We're almost here as well. We saw Zoro and Franky enter in. Wait at the lobby."_

We went out and saw both Zoro and Franky enter in. A World Noble passed us by.

A couple moments later Yuuto came running in. "I'm happy that Saint Charlos didn't see me." He looked at me. "That World Noble that passed you guys by actually ordered me to kidnap you Robin." [1]

I shrugged not caring much about it.

Brook's voice. _"We'll be there in 10 more minutes. Just rescue Camie without us."_

We all looked at Yuuto and he nodded seeing that he was familiar with the layout. "Alright, we need to fight the guards around here and look for the keys. We may need someone to watch what's going on in the auditorium and slow it down if necessary."

Usopp volunteered to do that himself. Franky also accompanied him.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

After sidestepping the last guard's punch, I struck his elbow and kneed his stomach. I then used my two arms to push him back, using the arm he used to punch me, to the floor. I kicked him in the gut. After he was unconscious, I checked his body for the key. No luck, I made our way to the jail. I wasn't happy to be at this place and it was pissing me off. The others followed me.

If we couldn't find the key to the jail, I could at least pick the lock. It would take some time but it could work.

Just before we got to the jail, I heard a voice. "Well, well." I froze recognizing that voice. I looked behind and saw Disco, someone I worked under. "You guys look like the Straw Hats. I heard you guys have a former Chaser who worked here before."

I ignored the looks some of the crew gave me and walked up to him. I wasn't in the mood for this. I pushed his arm aside and tripped his foot landing him on his back. I punched his face once he landed and held one of his hands. I put one of my knees on top of his body to prevent him from getting up. I was getting ready to break his body.

"Give us the keys for the cuffs. All the cuffs. Otherwise, I'm breaking your bones. Starting with your fingers." I said in a malicious tone I hadn't used for a long time. Only Nami looked surprised at my aggressiveness. I ignored it. I finally had a chance at doing some good in this place.

Sanji walked beside me getting ready to kick him to help. I gave him a look not to interfere. He backed off. This was personal. Disco looked at me. "Are you disguising yourself again Black Fox?"

I ignored him and applied more pressure. He yelled in pain as I broke his index finger. "Give us what we want." I was not messing around here. "The more you talk, the more painful it's going to be. You can guess what I am capable of."

He nodded. "Fine here." He motioned where he had the keys. I punched him in the jaw knocking him unconscious.

Seeing the looks my crew gave me, I answered. "Yeah. I worked for him. Never was proud of what I've done." Awkward pause. I could have taken the keys a while ago, but that bastard needed to pay. Nami flinched hearing that. Zoro and Sanji nodded understanding. Robin took a breath and walking toward me.

"We know you're not that person anymore." Robin told me. "Just like how I'm not the Devil's Child." I looked at her appreciating that.

"It doesn't matter what you did. You're one of us Yuuto. A Strawhat" Zoro continued.

Sanji nodded. "Marimo's right. You're our nakama." I gave them a look also appreciating the sentiment.

"Yuuto," I looked at Nami. She was the one who looked most surprised seeing what I did before. I guess she never thought too much about my past. I looked at her who was the most innocent one out of us here. "It's fine. That was before. You're not that person."

I nodded, knowing that my crew didn't turn me away after all, and ran to the jail with everyone following behind me.

When we got there, I saw Silvers Rayleigh, a giant, and couple of other slaves in the jail. No Camie.

"Where's the mermaid?" I asked urgently. I quickly unlocked the doors and began unlocking the nearest cuffs and collars I could.

Rayleigh answered me. "Sorry. She's out there getting ready to be auctioned off. She just went out." Damn it. Disco probably figured out we were going to try and rescue her. He was a greedy man. Rayleigh looked at me curiously. "I recognize the others pirates, but not you."

I ignored him more focused on freeing the would be slaves. The others went ahead of me outside to the stage to see if they could help slow it down. I would unlock the rest of them. It felt best for me to free the people here for once instead of locking them here.

When I unlocked one of them, one of them bowed on their knees and started thanking me.

I told them. "You don't have to do that." Although it felt good, I wasn't so sure how they would feel once they knew that it was probably my profession that imprisoned them. I unlocked another one.

The one I just unlocked hugged me. "You don't understand how grateful we are."

I laughed a little bitterly. "Believe me. I know." I wonder how they would react once they saw my mask.

 **Franky POV**

When we saw Camie come on the stage, I wasn't sure what we were going to do. I looked at Usopp who was uncharacteristically calm in this situation. I guess it's because we weren't in any danger.

"500 million beri." Charlos called out.

I looked at Usopp. We didn't have that kind of cash. Usopp put his hand out to me to tell me that he got this. What was he doing?

He stood up gathering everyone's attention. "500 million and 1 beri." He called out. I sweatdropped; this was one of his lies again. Everyone was surprised that Usopp was challenging the World Noble in a money contest. This wasn't going to work. Everyone knows that the World Nobles get what they want.

Charlos looked enraged and said "501 million beri." He looked at Usopp with a smug look. Nevermind, this could work.

Usopp, not wanting to be outdone, took his old slingshot out. "500 million beri and my precious slingshot that is worth 10 million beri." Everyone looked at him. "You don't understand how valuable this slingshot it. It is made of the finest wood found in the entire world." I coughed at that. There was no way for it be made from Adam's wood.

Usopp ignored my cough. He then posed the slingshot for all to see.

Hearing that, the auctioneer motioned for the guards to go to Usopp to check his possessions. I inwardly groaned. The guards can easily tell what is counterfeit or not.

The World Noble angered. "520 million beris." He shouted.

"You really don't know how much I'm worth do you." Usopp shouted. At least he was delaying them. "500 million and these rubberbands I have worth which is worth 50 million."

Everyone looked at him crazy. Who wants rubber bands?

Right. Because we all want a rubber band owned by the amazing Usopp. Maybe if you were a God then maybe.

I coughed again remembering that I needed to help him. "What about these super dials that could light up the world?" I yelled out. I emphasized my key word. I then took out a dial which Usopp took in a hurry. It was a light dial we had planned to use to shine to blind our enemies.

"My good people. Allow me to demonstrate this product we've been working on. Could we have the lights please." He looked at one guard close to the light switch. In the moment of confusion, the guard turned off the light. "This light dial is worth 200 million. It will never run out of light." Usopp then demonstrated it at low power.

I just shook my head. Usopp was sounding more and more like a sleazy used ship salesman. There's no need for to buy a light dial if we have lightbulbs. Especially when you are making it so expensive and it does the same thing as a light bulb.

Then again, there were some interested looks about this dial.

The auctioneer then remembered a rule. "We are running an auction. Only beris. No bartering. And no showcasing other products. You can only showcase our slaves nothing else."

Usopp continued. "You don't understand .These items cost me a fortune. They're worth more than what that man could offer." He pointed at Saint Charlos.

"I just see a loser who possibly can't back up the money he has." Saint Charlos spoke. I didn't laugh even though he was right.

"Why! I ought to!" Usopp shouted.

"Enough. The price will remains originally at 500 million. If the other person has actual money to give 500 million and 1 beri we will continue as before." The auctioneer said. After a pause and a look at Usopp. "Well?"

Usopp started sweating. "Well…. See the funny thing is our ship..." I glared at him and started choking him. We do not sell our ship. Especially if I made our ship.

The auctioneer sighed. "Sold for 500 million to Saint Charlos." I then released my hold on Usopp realizing that I had forgotten about Camie.

"Wait! The ship is super -"

"There will be no objections and other objects. We only accept cash." I sat down. "Saint Charlos, please collect your mermaid.

Just as Charlos got up from his seat to collect, Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Hachi, and Papagg crashed in onto the stairs. I smiled at Usopp. We had stalled successfully. [2]

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

After crashing into the stairs, I looked around. I saw Camie in a bubble. "Ah, Camie!" I started running down the stairs. "We were looking for you. Thank goodness.".

I was held back by Hachi "Wait! Stop."

"What do you mean? Camie's right there." I was pointing out the obvious.

"Yes, but she's still got the exploding collar on."

"That doesn't matter." I pushed him away. Unfortunately, that cause everyone to pay attention to us. At that very moment, I saw my crew except Yuuto come out. The audience started pointed at Hachi. I heard what they said.

"It's a fishman. How disgusting."

"We don't want no fishman here."

"Disgusting. Look at its color."

I continued running trying to get Camie. Just as the guards grabbed me, I heard a gunshot behind me.

I heard Nami cry out. "Hachi!" I quickly struggled and the guards let me down. I looked behind. Hachi was lying face down bleeding.

"I'm so glad they shot him. I was worried that I would get a disease from that thing." I narrowed my eyes at the stupid looking man who shot him.

He was dancing so proudly. "Father. Look. I caught him." I heard Camie pound angrily on the glass. "I caught him so he's free right." I started walking back up the stairs toward that idiot.

"What just." I heard Yuuto's voice. "Oh no." He figured out what happened.

Just as I was a couple steps before that idiot, I felt Hachi grab me. "You promised that… even if someone is shot before you...you wouldn't do anything." He paused catching his breath. "I'm a pirate anyway. I've done bad things. This is my punishment." I see the tears on his eyes filled with regret and looked back at the crew.

I had seen those eyes on Yuuto who looked down shamefully when I made eye contact with him. He had told me about these people he worked before. I remember when he told me about working for the Celestial Dragons. I remember how they killed Sabo. I was never angry at him because he told me he never went to East Blue other than going to Logue Town. Still, to work for these people and what they want must be stupid.

That didn't matter anymore. Hachi was similar to Yuuto.

I turned to look at Nami who had been afflicted with the pain caused by Arlong. One look at Nami told me that she forgave him.

The Celestial Dragon aimed his gun at him. "You damn fish." I looked at him. "I shot you, but you're still talking."

I walked toward him knowing what to do. Usopp also told Franky to move out the way as if ready to expecting what I was about to do.

"What is he doing?" I heard someone randomly.

"Is he serious?"

"You piss me off too!" I yelled. I gave him a right hook.

The World Noble flew through 6 benches and I heard more guards running.

I cracked my knuckles. What I had done wasn't enough.

Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Yuuto, and Franky ran by my side. I looked back and saw that Robin and Brook were trying to free Camie. Chopper was tending Hachi.

"Sorry guys." I apologized remembering the consequences. "I heard if I punched that guy they would send an admiral." I knew we weren't strong enough to fight an admiral, but still I had to do what was right.

Yuuto's body language told me it was fine. "No Luffy. They deserve it for what they've done before." He looked angry at that but it seemed different. He then put on his mask. "Let's see if I can change this mask's meaning." He seemed lighter.

Zoro took out his sword. "It's fine. I would have cut him." He then gave a smile.

Nami nodded and looked back at Hachi. "Hachi. Hang in there."

Usopp sighed. "Well, we already pissed off the government anyway."

Taking a light, Sanji spoke. "Let's get started then."

Another World Noble looked at Yuuto surprised. "Did you forget who you are? You're a Chaser. You belong to us. Stop them-" He was suddenly cut off by Yuuto punching him in the face. I looked at him surprised but smiled. It seemed that he let go.

"Didn't you get the memo? I quit a long time ago." Yuuto spoke out. The other World Noble landed next to the other one. "I'm the Strawhat's Bodyguard now."

At that moment, another World Noble called out. "Call the admiral and battleship." She pointed at Yuuto. "You'll pay for this." Yuuto then appeared next to her scaring her before she ran away.

People started fleeing. "Everyone." I shouted toward my crew. "As soon as we get that bomb off her neck, we're out of here. We have marines coming."

"The marines are already here Strawhat." I looked and saw a man with a white hat. He was sitting next to a bear.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Luffy." Robin warned. "That's Trafalgar Law. He's a pirate." I was going to have a hard time remembering his name.

"Don't forget us!" I looked and saw a man with red hair and scars. He was next to a masked man.

Zoro noticed and asked. "So that's your captain eh?" Did he meet them before?

The masked man responded back to him. "You should show more respect to my captain Eutass Kidd."

Hm? Zoro had another rival?

An old man then appeared from the stage. "Rayleigh!" Hachi shouted.

Wasn't that the name of our coating engineer we were looking for? I gave a look at him. "Hm." He looked around and saw the guards who kept coming in. He gave everyone a look and released a force that caused a lot of the guards to fall down.

Was this that Conqueror's Haki that Yuuto was telling me about? What a cool power.

He looked at me more closely. "Hm. That straw hat." I grabbed onto it as if he would take it away from me. "I've been wanting to meet you Monkey D. Luffy." He said it as if he knew who I was.

I paused not knowing what to say. I have no idea who this was. He walked close to the mermaid. Yuuto shouted. "Rayleigh. These are the keys." He threw the keys to him. Rayleigh caught it and unlocked them.

"You have my thanks. Black Fox." He looked at Yuuto. Some of the people behind Rayleigh looked scared hearing that and saw Yuuto with his mask. That seemed to scare them

Yuuto looked over at them and sighed. "Run for it while you still can. I won't chase after you." He called out.

Franky nodded as if the people didn't hear him. "Don't worry." He pointed at Yuuto. "Didn't you hear him. He's one of us." The people behind Rayleigh quickly ran away hearing that.

I heard the group next to me whisper. "There's no mistaking it." Trafal-guy said.

"That's 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh. What's a legend like him doing here?" Kidd asked.

Who was this old man? Rayleigh had gotten over to check on Hachi.

"Hey. Ossan. Why did you want to meet me?" I asked. I don't remember meeting him before. Was he important?

He looked around as if to judge the situation. "Let's talk about that later. We have to worry about getting out of here."

Yuuto also came over. "They have us completely surrounded." Rayleigh also took a look at Yuuto.

We heard some shouting. The Trafal-guy then said, "They're acting as if we're his accomplices."

"Well. I got to see first hand how crazy Straw Hat Luffy is. We'll be heading out." Kidd told us. He started walking ahead of us. "While we're at it, we'll do you a favor. We'll take out the guys hanging out front so don't worry."

The smug way he said it pissed me off. As if I didn't know how to take care of myself. I ran up to meet him followed by Trafal-guy.

Kidd's crew took out the marines that were entering in. Only me, Kidd, and Trafal-guy kept walking.

When we made our way outside, I ordered them. "You two can stay back. I don't need your help to take them on." There were hundreds of marines ready to fire at us.

"I thought I told the two of you to stay back huh?" Kidd replied arrogantly.

"If you try to order me one more time, I'll take you out Kidd." Law seemed to have trouble with listening to people.

I looked at these two. They seemed just as stubborn as I was. The marines then fired at us.

 **Yuuto POV**

When Luffy ran out, I didn't bother trying to stop him. There was no point because he heard an indirect challenge. Luffy was the type to hated to be looked as weak. I had something else on my mind. I was reflecting on two things.

One, since Luffy's attack, I realized that my captain was willing to fight against them even with their power. It even inspired me to attack my former employer. That made me feel released a little bit. Still, I wonder what the World Noble was going to do.

Two, I looked back at the slaves that I helped freed. They looked scared seeing my mask. They must have thought that I was going to put them back as slaves. I felt a sudden hand on me and looked back. It was Rayleigh. "Trust me kid, you did good." He said that in a way as if he understood why I did this. He must have seen me put on the mask and realized the connection.

I looked in shock, appreciating what he was doing. I felt lighter when he said that; however I didn't know what to say to him. I had a lot to make up for.

"I..." I started.

"Trust me. When you get to my age, you learn how to move forward." He responded.

I nodded, wondering when I could fully move forward. My crew went up to me and we then rushed forward to join Luffy. [3]

Timeskip

Back at Shakky's Bar

 **3rd Person POV [4]**

Luffy shouted. "Eh! You were on the Pirate King's ship."

Yuuto chuckled. "I'm glad I kept it a secret to see this on everyone's face." He laughed looking at everyone's dumbfounded expression except Robin who was not surprised.

"I was the First Mate. Silvers Rayleigh." Rayleigh introduced himself to the Strawhats. Zoro looked at him, smiling to see what he would be later known as. Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Franky looked in shocked with their eyes open.

Robin took a sip of her tea. "You didn't notice when they said his name was Rayleigh." It was a fact.

"It's in so many books." Nami admitted.

Sanji let out. "It's a name that everyone's heard of at least once."

Franky looked at Rayleigh once more to see one of the men Tom had built the Oro Jackson for. Brook looked deep in thought. "There may have been a rookie by the name of Gold Roger when I was in the Rumbar pirates." He contemplated out loud.

"Why does the octopus know someone like you?" Zoro asked.

"Hachi saved me." Came the quick reply.

Usopp asked a question. "But Gold Roger was executed 22 years ago. They didn't get you? The crew was captured by marines right?" That was what the news had said.

Rayleigh took a sip. When he finished, he started speaking. "Actually, we weren't caught." Everyone looked in shock hearing that. "Roger gave himself up." The room went quiet.

Yuuto spoke. "It's like the government to act like they captured him. But why?" Some of the crew members nodded realizing that he was referring to how the government changed its information for the people.

Rayleigh continued lost in thought remembering his times. "Because he had a terminal disease." He then smiled fondly. "A disease no one could cure. At the time Crocus, the most famous doctor from Twin Capes, was the only man who could ease Roger's suffering."

"Crocus!" Brook yelled out.

"Wow!" Yuuto exclaimed, remembering him.

"That old man never mentioned he sailed as a pirate." Usopp said.

"Well he mentioned he was a ship doctor." Nami corrected. "He never mentioned it was for the Pirate King."

Rayleigh smiled. "Oh. You met him. He was taking care of a whale. He came with us to look for a pirate crew." Everyone knew what that meant.

"Brook. He must have gone looking for you." Usopp quickly shouted. Brook started crying touched about what Crocus had done.

Rayleigh smiled fondly at the man Crocus was. "He was only on the crew for a little while but still one of my nakama. Even now. I want to see him again." Yuuto looked up considering that. He started wondering what would happen after Luffy becomes Pirate King and what would happen to the crew. Would they all disband? What would he do?

Rayleigh continued reminiscing about his times with Roger. He described what a carefree spirit he was to which all the members smiled realizing how similar Luffy was to Roger. "Under the Captain's orders, we secretly disbanded." Nami and Chopper gasped hearing that. Usopp and Sanji flinched. Zoro and Robin took a breath. Franky and Brook looked at Luffy hearing that. None of them considered what to do after their journey and they fulfilled their dreams.

Luffy, sensing some of the looks, yelled out. "After I become Pirate King, I want to keep going on and see the entire world. I'll need my crew to do that."

That relieved everyone. Nami and Franky could continue their dream while Nami also felt happier knowing she could still travel with Luffy. Zoro grinned. Usopp smiled in eager anticipation for the stories he could tell. Sanji blew some smoke. Maybe, they could find All Blue in the meantime. Yuuto smiled at the idea of traveling with them. Chopper was excited happy to go on adventure. Robin looked curious considering the ancient civilizations out there to discover. Brook nodded at that.

Rayleigh smiled a little sad and a little jealous. He had missed the life of a pirate but he wasn't as young as he used to be. "I wish I could go back to that time when I could still go on the adventure with my nakama." He looked at each and everyone. "Roger was a great man to follow." He continued reminiscing the times he had. "However, our journey had to end because of our captain's orders. Maybe you guys will be different."

All the Strawhats smiled at that. Luffy nodded at that, wanting to surpass Roger.

"Anyways, I'll do the coating for free." Rayleigh continued.

"Rayleigh, I have a question." Rayleigh turned to Robin who stood up and asked. "What is the Will of D.?" At that moment, the others looked up never hearing this before. Rayleigh hesitated. At that, Robin asked, "Do you know what happened in the World 900 years ago, during the 'Blank Century'? "

Rayleigh took a drink. It became quiet. "Yeah. I know." As he set the glass down, he continued. "We all know." Robin looked shocked. "Young lady, you can't rush things. Just go forward step by step. Maybe we and all of Ohara went too fast." He paused a moment. Everyone was confused what he meant. "Even if I told you, as you are now, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Take your time. See the whole world." He looked at Robin specifically. "Perhaps you'll find a different answer."

After they made eye contact for a bit, Rayleigh continued. "But if you must ask, I can tell you everything about it."

After some hesitation, Robin closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. I will continue my journey."

Rayleigh turned away. "Someday, you'll see everything. It makes me sick to know what happened to Ohara. But it's not like Roger understood those words." Robin looked on in curiously while everyone else was confused with what was going on. "We were pirates. We were not intellectuals. He just heard the 'voice of all creation.' "

Nodding in understanding, Robin sat back down. Usopp, shocked, "Are you sure you're ok with that Robin. You're letting a huge opportunity go here." Robin's silence told him everything. "Hey Old man. I have a question. Is One Piece really -"

"Usopp." Luffy yelled out, angry at having the adventure spoiled. "I don't want to hear anything about the treasure. That's how we all set out on this journey." He stood on the bar counter. "If the old man tells us anything here, I'll stop being a pirate." Nami and Sanji gasped at that. Yuuto was surprised. Usopp shook his head afraid of what was going to happen.

"I'm not going on a boring adventure!" Luffy yelled with conviction. Zoro nodded at that. He understood that Luffy wasn't the type to take the easy way. He was a man who valued hard work for his dream.

Smiling at Luffy, Rayleigh looked at him. "Can you do it?" He asked. "What the Grand Line has in store for you is beyond your imagination. Your enemies will be strong. Can you control this sea?" Rayleigh was testing Luffy.

Luffy grinned back. "I don't want to control it. The Pirate King is the Freest man on the Sea!" He proudly proclaimed. Zoro, Sanji, Yuuto, and Robin smiled at that understanding immediately where Luffy was coming from. Nami, Usopp, and Franky thought about it before understanding what he meant. Luffy always made sure the crew members joined out of their free will and never treated his crew as underlings. Due to his innocence, Chopper just thought Luffy looked cool saying that.

Shakky and Rayleigh both shared a smile at each other. They both knew that attitude would get them far. Perhaps this was the one Roger was waiting for.

Rayleigh turned to the door. "Your ship's at Grove 41. I'll check it out. You guys will need to stay low for three days. I'll get started." He left after that. Shakky gave each member of the crew his vivre card.

As he left, Franky watched and marveled at the man who was one of the men his teacher Tom made the Oro Jackson. After the conversation, he felt he truly understood his master.

Yuuto nodded. "We should split up. It's harder for them to catch all of us." Robin looked at Nami really quickly in shock. Nami didn't notice. Only Robin remembered the warning. Normally, she was used to the idea of being alone but now.

Luffy and the others agreed with the idea.

"I want to be with Nami and Robin!" Sanji shouted. Robin relaxed a little understanding that Yuuto meant in groups.

"Actually." Yuuto grinned a little mischeviously. "I thought of how we should split up. Makes it harder for people to come after us. Group 1 will be Luffy, Nami, and Franky." Nami slightly glared at Yuuto feeling that she was set up while Robin chuckled. Yuuto ignored those two and only hoped that Nami would appreciate him trying to help her. Luffy and Franky felt ok. Franky looked between the two he was with and still felt there was something between Luffy and Nami.

"Nami's electric attacks wouldn't hurt Luffy while Franky would be the best far range support for them both." Yuuto defended himself before Sanji could get angry. Usopp, Chopper, and Brook helped calm Sanji down.

"Alright. Fine. I hope I get Robin then!" Sanji said.

"Group 2 will be Usopp, Sanji, and Brook." Yuuto continued. Sanji started complaining hearing that. Yuuto sighed and was about to explain before some people interrupted.

"Then that means." Zoro smiled realizing who was left.

"I'm with Zoro, Yuuto, and Robin!" Chopper exclaimed. Robin smiled at that.

"Hey wait a minute. That group's too strong." Usopp started complaining. He was not feeling adequately protected compared to as before.

Yuuto sighed. "It's just in case we need to find Zoro." There was a slight moment of confusion. "The three of us are the best trackers without using our communication system." Robin could easily find anyone with her ability while Chopper could smell people. Yuuto would just use his Observation Haki.

"Ah. Nevermind then. I'll be with Sanji and Brook then." Usopp cried happily that he wouldn't have the headache of finding Zoro. Everyone except Zoro agreed how hard it would be to find Zoro while Zoro slapped Yuuto in the head.

In pain, Yuuto held his hand to nurse the bump forming on his head. "I'm sorry Zoro but how can you get lost on the ship we have traveled in for at least a month?"

"Hey the Thousand Sunny is huge!" Zoro tried to defend himself.

Robin sighed. "He was talking about the Going Merry. We've only traveled on the Thousand Sunny for a little more than 2 weeks now" Zoro became quiet hearing that knowing he had been beaten. Yuuto breathed some relief, knowing that the group was really to help Zoro because he was still healing from his wounds. He and Robin were strong enough to fight while Chopper checks up on Zoro.

As the Strawhats said good-bye to Hachi, Camie, Pappag, and Shakky, they left the bar and started walking out. They decided to properly separate at Grove 12.

"Alright! We're up against an admiral. I hope no one dies!" Luffy said cheerfully. Everyone huddled around in a circle facing inward to give each other one look before they would meet again in three days.

Usopp yelled. "It's bad luck to say that out loud."

"I could pretend that I'm dead." Brook said plainly.

"Stay out of trouble and stay with the group." Yuuto said. At that moment, they heard a couple people land behind them. He sighed. "That's weird. I didn't sense their auras." He took out his gloves.

Zoro who looked at who landed first. "Seems like a zoo." Robin and Franky were on high alert when they noticed who landed.

Sanji continued. "Yuuto, you didn't mention that you had friends here." Yuuto was confused at that statement. The others didn't mention anything seeing what was going on before giving him a quick look.

"I don't have any friends here other than you guys." Once Yuuto finally put on his gloves, he was the last one to face outside the circle. What he saw shocked him. "Crap."

Surrounding them were three people. They were wearing masks of different colors and animals. A white horse, blue koala, and green leopard. Each mask had a downward spiral.

"Are these?" Nami asked while looking at Yuuto. Usopp and Chopper looked a little intimidated by these presences and gave Yuuto a quick look.

"Yes." Franky said out loud what Yuuto was afraid to say. "These are all Chasers." He grinned a little cockily.

"Cool Yuuto. I didn't know you had other superhero friends!" Luffy cried out. Everyone looked at him wondering how he didn't realize there were other Chasers. "Maybe, they'll also join us."

Yuuto shook his head. "They're probably sent by the World Nobles to chase after us. Lucky for us, they're not strong judging by the color."

At that moment, the Chasers heard that and were about to fire something from their hands.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Yuuto, Franky, and Brook had reacted in time to stop their attacks. The Chasers jumped away to analyze them.

"Oi Yuuto." Sanji cried out. "What were they about to do? Is that some weapon you guys have?"

Franky had similar questions. "It seemed like they were about to fire a laser from their hands." Luffy and Chopper had stars in their eyes when they heard that.

"I don't know. But when I tried cutting them, their bodies did not feel like flesh." Zoro answered. He was reminded of Kuma. However, he didn't try using armament Haki.

"Zoro-san is right. I couldn't even make a scratch on them." Brook confirmed.

"I don't know." Yuuto truthfully replied. "I haven't been with them for about seven to eight months now? Things must have changed." He knew fighting them felt different. They didn't have any aura. Plus, Chasers didn't use weapons. He sensed someone else coming. He looked at Sanji who nodded at what he sensed.

"We need to finish these guys as fast as possible." Sanji cried out. Everyone nodded and got ready to unleash their attacks. Chopper morphed to armpoint while everyone else had their weapons ready and tried to attack as much as they could.

After a couple minutes of dodging the Chasers' laser attacks and fighting them, they eventually finished them off. Only one was tougher than the rest.

Luffy used Gomu Gomu Bazooka on the Green Leopard. The Green Leopard was launched in the air to which Usopp fired a Hi no Tori Boshi hitting him in air. Just as the Green Leopard landed on the ground, Nami used her Thunderlance Tempo frying him and rendering him unconscious.

Brook slashed the Blue Koala with Hanauta Sancho Yahazu Giri. After that moment, Franky blew him away with a Coup de vent. To finish the koala off, Sanji used Soru to appear next to the Blue Koala. Sanji finished off with Diable Jambe.

Zoro used Shishi Sonson on the White Horse. Chopper, who noticed that the White Horse was still standing, ran to him. Robin restrained the white horse with her abilities for Chopper to use Kokutei Roseo to the horse's head. After that, Yuuto followed up by throwing the White Horse to ground and putting him in an armbar choke position.

However, the White Horse still wrestled free and punched Yuuto away. Luffy started running up to him to unleash a Jet Gatling.

Sanji wanted to mock Zoro. "Man. Marimo you couldn't defeat that. All of us finished our opponents."

"Shut up. That white horse is tough." Zoro growled at that.

Yuuto defended Zoro. "The white horse is a stronger than all of them." He looked at the defeated opponents more closely. He knew that someone of that rank shouldn't have been knocked out by the time he threw them to the ground. In fact, they all lasted longer if they withstood that many attacks. "Colors seem off." He said. More importantly, he couldn't sense how they moved as normal.

"Color?" Usopp asked.

"Yes. We rank Chasers by color. Black is the strongest." There was a little bit of pride in his voice. "Followed by gray, white, blue, green, and red. Every Chaser starts out as Red. I soon became White Fox for a short two years. I then became Black Fox before I met Vivi." He paused, looking at the defeated foes. "The three colors we fought shouldn't have given us that much trouble" Yuuto elaborated. He knew he could take down a White Chaser with little trouble by himself. Why did this one give him more trouble than expected while enduring such strong attacks? He went up to look at each one of them particularly the white horse that he fought.

"What's wrong Yuuto?" Robin asked.

He wasn't exactly sure. "They were abnormally quiet. Too quiet." He ripped opponent's clothes to see if there was anything. He found an unusual tattoo that said Ω-25 next to his shoulder.

He considered the possibilities of what that could mean. Omega 25? What happened in the last 8 months since he quit?

"Jeez. Look at what you did to the wannabe Pacifistas." An unfamiliar voice shouted. Two loud thuds were heard. The strawhats turned and saw Bartholomew Kuma and a man wielding a giant broad axe. The stranger spoke, "Then again. They're nothing compared to the real Pacifistas."

"Ahh! That's the Schibukai from Thriller Bark!" Usopp shouted. Nami and Robin became a little cautious. Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto looked at Kuma and felt something was off.

"That looks like Bartholomew Kuma." Yuuto said. "However, he doesn't have an aura. Not like back at Thriller Bark." Was he having trouble using Observation Haki? He looked at the other man. No. He could tell that man's aura.

"Who are you 'Broad Axe'" Franky yelled.

"Calling me by my weapon's name? I see you noticed that it's actually PX-4 not Kuma."

"PX-4?" Sanji asked out loud.

"Not Kuma?" Chopper asked.

The man sighed. "That's means he's a Pacifista a modified human made by the World Government." That only gave everyone more questions.

"Wait you haven't told us your name?" Franky asked again.

"I thought I told you. I'm Sentoumaru." After a couple moments, he continued. "Ah. I said that accidentally, I wasn't actually answering your question. Let's start PX-4!"

At that moment, PX-4 started firing beams from his paws.

The Straw Hats dodged the attack but were caught in the explosion. Franky asked "Isn't that what those guys were earlier?"

"Yes. But it's clear that these two are on a different level than the ones we just faced." Yuuto called out. The destructive power behind this Pacifista was clear.

"He's shooting beams from his palms. They're not paws anymore. What's going on here?" Sanji asked.

"We got no time for that. We need to focus on our safety. If we fight again, we're going to get really hurt." Zoro said. He was starting to feel tired.

Luffy breathed a little from using Gear Two. "Yeah. Let's run." Even though most of the Straw Hats weren't badly hurt, Luffy knew the longer they fought they would soon become tired and then the admiral would come after them. He remembered the last time he fought an admiral and knew he wasn't close to their level yet. "Let's split up!" He yelled out as PX-4 fired another beam. The straw hats agreed with that.

At that moment, Usopp fired a smoke bomb toward Sentoumaru and PX-4. His group started running toward one direction. Franky then lit the smoke bomb on fire with his breath. As this was going on, Nami was making a fog appear to hinder the marines' vision. The two would start running with Luffy.

Zoro's group had already run away but they were stopped by a man who was dressed in a yellow suit.

Yuuto cried out. "That's Admiral Kizaru. He ate the Pika Pika no mi!" Robin looked a little afraid.

Kizaru fired a beam which only Yuuto dodged but the others were hit. Yuuto grabbed Kizaru's arms with his seastone gloves.

"Oh. You grabbed me. How scary." Kizaru drawled sarcastically. "Unfortunately for me, that's not armament Haki is it." Kizaru started kicking Yuuto with his free legs. Yuuto took the hits but maintained his hold.

"Robin. Chopper. Take Zoro and run." Yuuto barked out. He was trying to wrestle with Kizaru, making sure Kizaru was always exposed to seastone. The two looked at Zoro who was trying to catch his breath. "I'll catch up to you guys if I can." Yuuto said. He wasn't sure how long he could delay Kizaru. The two nodded, grabbed Zoro, and left Yuuto.

Kizaru scoffed. "You're underestimating me if you think you can stop me by yourself." Kizaru then got out of Yuuto's hold. As soon as he got free, Kizaru fired at Yuuto, bleeding him. "If Roronoa Zoro a bounty of 120 million is this tired, I should take him out now." Kizaru then moved disappeared and reappeared before Zoro, Chopper, and Robin.

Kizaru first kicked Robin away. She crashed to a nearby tree and remained conscious. Chopper went to arm point but couldn't punch Kizaru. Yuuto was getting up and looked over. Kizaru had a foot on top of Zoro and was about to fire a beam.

"Zoro!" Luffy looked back and yelled. Sentoumaru had found Luffy earlier and started fighting him.

Nami was using her climatact to set up thunder clouds around them. She looked at Zoro's situation. "This can't be for real. He's going to die!" She tried to think what she could when she was about 100 meters away. She couldn't change where her clouds were going to. Franky was also engaged in fighting Sentoumaru physically.

Sanji looked and started running towards Kizaru. Yuuto mentally slapped himself for not running back into action. Usopp tried to fire something at Kizaru but his bullet only went through.

"It's useless. I am a light-man."

At that brief distraction, Robin used her powers to roll Zoro away.

"Way to go Robin-san!" Brook cried out.

However, Kizaru was undeterred and teleported to where Zoro was rolling to. He put a leg on top of him so Robin couldn't roll him any more. Robin looked worried at that.

"I won't let you move. It's useless. Now die!" Kizaru was about kick him but was suddenly stopped by a kick. The beam he was about to kill Zoro with was scattered to a nearby tree.

Sanji and Yuuto stopped running to see what happened. Luffy yelled "Old man!" out of gratitude.

Kizaru looked at who interfered. "So you're making an appearance? Dark King." Kizaru sighed. "Here I thought this would be easy."

"You shouldn't be plucking these young sprouts like these. Their time is just beginning." Rayleigh said.

Yuuto then motioned Sanji to go back to his group. After a look in the eyes, Sanji relented but knew that Yuuto was also in worse condition now. Yuuto ran and picked up Zoro. Luffy shouted from his fight. "Everyone. Think of getting away. Right now, we can't beat these guys." Yuuto made it back to Chopper and Robin who had also started running back to Chopper.

"Tch. I can't let you guys get away from me" Kizaru then fired a beam of light close to Zoro, Yuuto, Chopper, and Robin. However, the light he made was scattered again by Rayleigh. The two New World veterans soon engaged in a sword fight.

"Fuu…. I came here expecting no trouble and an easy time." Kizaru said nonchalantly.

Rayleigh shared some life advice. "Kizaru, life always throws you curves."

Sentoumaru noticing that Zoro was weak, called out "PX-4, Go after Roronoa." It would be best to go after the weakest group possible. The Pacifista started going toward them. Sanji noticed.

As Zoro's group continued running, Zoro called out, "Just leave me." Yuuto, Chopper, and Robin looked at him. "I'll let you guys escape."

"Don't be stupid Zoro." Yuuto started.

"We're sticking together no matter what!" Chopper followed. He was worried about Zoro the most seeing how injured he was.

Robin took a pause before nodding agreeing with them. "It's our turn to protect you now since you've always been protecting us." After a couple moments, she continued. "Yuuto, are Zoro's swords hindering you a little bit. I can carry them." Yuuto shook his head. However, he didn't want to admit that the swords hitting his side was bothering his wound.

At that moment, they heard PX-4 coming nearby. Yuuto said, "Chopper, I'm handing Zoro to you. See if you can alleviate his pain. I'm going to buy some time." Chopper nodded and transformed to heavy point and grabbed Zoro.

Once Yuuto felt the shift of weight, he turned around with his gloves and took unsheathed the claws. He looked and saw that PX-4 was about to fire at him. He dodged and was almost caught in the explosion. He then focused on attacking the right arm.

It's not made of bone. It's metal. He realized and noticing that this was similar to the Chasers fought earlier.

Unfortunately, the Kuma lookalike ignored him and kept running after his original. He ran back and tried to trip it to the ground. It fell and when it was on the ground, Yuuto punched one of its knees. Unfortunately, the knee didn't break.

Just then, he heard Sanji come by.

 **Diable Jambe**

Sanji struck the stomach. At that moment, Yuuto noticed the circuits and decided to use his electric dials to his attacks. PX-4 stood up. Yuuto jabbed at PX-4 three times, before kneeing it in the stomach and then tripping it. It fell on the ground trying to get up before stopping.

Sanji and Yuuto both panted at that. They were both at their limit.

"There's another one here!" Chopper yelled.

Sanji and Yuuto looked behind them and saw another Kuma a couple feet away. Robin and Chopper had both laid Zoro down ready to fight.

This Kuma started walking forward "Roronoa. So you're still alive."

At that response, Zoro looked at him and realized he was the original. He gave an unfriendly look ready to grab his swords. "Yeah. Thanks to your mercy."

Chopper and Robin stood forward ready to defend Zoro as Kuma slowly approached. He took one of his gloves off. "If you were to go somewhere, where would you go?" Robin, hearing that, was about to use her powers to stop him. She remembered the warning that Hawkins gave, wanting to stop it. Kuma appeared behind Robin and Chopper and was instantly next to Zoro.

"Zoro!" Chopper shouted. Usopp, Sanji, Yuuto, and Brook who was watching this go by, froze helplessly. Robin turned back.

Roronoa Zoro was gone, lost with no one with a clue on how to find him.

Hearing Chopper's cry, Luffy, Nami, Franky, and Sentoumaru stopped fighting. Nami put her hands to her face while Franky widened his eyes in shock. Luffy had his mouth open.

"I saw that ability back at Thriller Bark." Nami responded. She never did figure out what happened to that person who disappeared.

"He says that the people repelled by those paws fly though the sky." Sentoumaru explained even though no one asked what happened.

Kuma wasn't done yet. He then turned to the next closest Strawhat. Robin. Robin only watched helplessly as she was shaken enough not to fight back. The warning did come true after all. Chopper, not wanting to lose another nakama, also ran toward her ready to go to Monster Point.

Nico Robin vanished.

Seeing that his nakama were disappearing before him, Chopper put the two rumble balls in his mouth. This was a do or die situation.

A giant roar woke Sanji and Yuuto up from their stupor. Yuuto immediately started running toward Kuma. Sanji slapped himself and started following after Yuuto. Seeing both of them run, Brook also ran toward them, he could play a lullaby to make Chopper sleep. Usopp chased after Brook.

Chopper smashed the ground that Kuma was standing on. Kuma appeared behind Chopper ready to send him away too. However, Yuuto held Kuma's hand back and kicked his back. Sanji was also ready to help attack but needed to dodge Chopper's reckless attack.

"Chopper, calm down!" Yuuto called to him. He was hoping Chopper could still hear him and control Monster Point. Then, maybe they could take down Kuma.

"Yuuto. Look behind you!" Sanji cried out. When Yuuto turned around, he saw Kuma.

It was too late. Kaiya Yuuto disappeared.

"I'm sorry. He was non-negotiable." Kuma blankly said. Only Sanji heard that. Before he could answer any questions, there was music playing. He turned and saw Brook playing a lullaby for Chopper. Usopp was trying to catch up to Brook.

Unfortunately, PX-4 had been rebooting and had started attacking them from behind. Kuma turned over and saw who to make disappear next. He sent PX-4 away.

Sanji yelled. "Wait you bastard." He started chasing after Kuma.

Just as Kuma went up to Chopper who was slowly falling asleep, Usopp fired something at Kuma. Kuma ignored him.

In an instant, monster Tony Tony Chopper with his large size couldn't be found on Sabaody.

"Chopper!" Luffy and Nami both yelled. Franky did what he could and tried to get them both focused. Franky was then punched away by Sentoumaru.

"Don't forget I'm still here." Sentoumaru yelled. He was about to hit Nami but Luffy punched Sentoumaru. Meanwhile, Franky landed far away from them. Sentoumaru looked at Luffy who seemed stronger. "Hm. So you could use armament Haki after all." [5]

Luffy ignored him and widened his eyes when he saw Sanji try to duel with Kuma.

"Sanji! No!" He yelled. Sanji tried to kick Kuma but Kuma sidestepped it. Kuma then placed his paw on Sanji.

Luffy blinked and could no longer see Sanji in front of him.

Although none of the Strawhats knew of his surname, Vinsmoke Sanji disappeared as if he was invisible.

Kuma made quick work of Brook and Usopp who were close by.

Brook left no trace, not even his bones were found.

Usopp soon disappeared out of Luffy's sight, like he was hiding from the monsters back in East Blue.

Sentoumaru hit Luffy, in his moment of weakness, separating him from Nami. Sentoumaru stood in his way. Luffy saw Kuma approach Franky. Seeing Luffy's pitiful condition, Sentoumaru decided to let Luffy run past him. Nami followed trying to help with whatever she could.

Franky tried to fight Kuma but it was futile. "Franky! Stop!" Luffy yelled out.

Franky vanished as if he was erased.

Kuma saw the two remaining Straw Hats. He threw a Pad Cannon toward their direction. Seeing the attack and Nami had no way to dodge, Luffy shielded Nami from the blow.

His fatigue was catching up to him and the attack sent him to the ground. Nami was by his side but Kuma approached.

"Luffy!" Nami screamed with her hand out trying to help him get up. She couldn't run away not with her captain looking so helpless.

"Nami!" Luffy yelled back with despair, trying to reach for her hand. He wanted to save at least one nakama.

But it was too late. He didn't grab her in time. It was as if the Nami he saw was a mirage that disappeared once revealed.

Luffy pounded his hand on the ground, frustrated. He hadn't experienced this much emotional pain since Sabo's death. "I couldn't..." He howled before pounding the ground in anger. "Even… save one of my friends." He punched the ground in frustration. He remembered Yuuto's earlier warning when Yuuto first joined.

" _I don't want any of my nakama to die because they weren't prepared."_ [6]

Those words echoed in his mind. Luffy wasn't prepared or as strong as he thought. He had failed as a captain to protect them. Luffy looked up and saw Kuma. For one of the rare moments in his life, Luffy gave up.

"We will not meet again. Farewell" Kuma said gravely.

That was the last thing he heard on Sabaody.

Monkey D. Luffy didn't know but at that moment. His entire crew was only temporarily separated from each other.

* * *

AN:

[1] This was a minor plot point that I never really got to develop but kept.

I am using this experience for Robin for her to have an idea about Yuuto's past and that's why she understood his background. I don't see myself developing this idea further than I had originally planned because I'm focused on other further plot points.

[2]

Let's be honest, if we send Usopp and Franky to stall for the Strawhats, they're going to show the cool inventions and give them a show.

[3]

Not much changed other than the Strawhats did fight side by side with Kid and the Heart Pirates.

Some of them made an impression on each other. Yuuto made a couple notes from that encounter.

[4]

3rd person POV I felt was necessary for this moment on to when they separate from the crew. Hope you guys liked this. It did seem fitting for such an emotional ride at this point.

I kind of wrote it so that it does seem that they did "die". When you are first reading this part, you don't know what was going to happen to them. I hope I covered each interaction and relationship well.

[5]

Luffy unlocked armament Haki since fighting Lucci but he's not consistent in activating it.

[6]

A quote from chapter 2.

Again, when you first read this scene, it is ambiguous about what's going to happen to them. I would say they each assumed the worst.

I'm going to do Amazon Lily next chapter (to set up Luffy and Boa Hancock who will play a role in my story) so feel free to guess where Yuuto is or what will happen to him during the two years.

Leave a review about any questions you may have or what you liked in this chapter. I will be exploring some of the character thoughts during that time frame and changing a little bit.

Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows. It really does mean a lot to me.


	30. Chapter 30 Amazon Lily

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Chapter 933.

Alright, so I'm actually continuing with Boa Hancock and Luffy. As mentioned before, I do have an important role for Boa Hancock in the future. **I confess this chapter is a review of the manga** but it is **important** to see who she is before she meets Luffy for her **development.** I did expand on her background and her feelings. She will be important for the story and will be a character I will develop later, especially when the Strawhats go through the New World.

Also, keep in mind that I am writing Hancock before she meets Luffy, so she is acting like a bitch. However, she will meet Luffy very soon, so it won't be too bad.

I will expand on some of the other Straw Hats and what they did during two years. What happens to Yuuto will go in detail starting next chapter. Feel free to guess where Yuuto is and how he will get stronger in the next two years. My hint for that is read the previous chapters. It has been foreshadowed.

* * *

Amazon Lily

Next day

 **Boa Hancock POV**

After I "slipped" and Gloriosa had her little accident, I needed to take a bath. I couldn't let her touch soil my beauty. I was feeling dirty from touching all the unclean people and animals I touched as I came back.

Shoot. I needed to get the fur off my feet when I kicked the kitten off back on that ship. How could anyone let such filthy creatures stand in my way.

"Guards. I am going to shower now." I told the peasants around me.

One spoke up. "Lady Hebihime. But. Everyone in the castle just started eating."

I mentally sighed. Did they not hear what I ordered? Whatever. I can get them to change their mind. I gave them a fake cute look with a slight blush. "But. I'm so dirty." I gave them a flick of my hair for them to see my beauty clearly.

That guard apologized. "Oh yes. Sorry. Right away." The other guard ran to ring the bell. "It is now time for Lady Hebihime's bath!" She yelled. I smirked. People were so easy to manipulate.

All I needed to do was act cute and throw them a fake smile then people would give me what I want.

Even easier to manipulate because of my good looks and refinement.

Only the beautiful will get what they want.

I walked to the lower floor where the bath was. I walked past all the soldiers who ran past me. All the soldiers who saw me stopped running and let me past them. They turned back to see me, gawking at my elegance. I ignored them; they weren't worth my time.

Once I entered the bath, I made sure no one except my sisters were around. Only they knew about the truth behind the "curse" we had on our backs. They were going to make sure no intruder was here to keep our secret. Just like how I would do the same for them.

I undressed and walked into the warm water. I sat down. Even though some of my strength was gone, this was still a relaxing experience. It feels good having the warm water clean and soothe my precious feet that touched this dirty soil and those pesky little kittens.

Small animals should know better and get out of my path. Guess they can't appreciate my beauty.

Then again, it's hard to find someone who can't appreciate my physical beauty.

After my feet had been soaked in water, I walked into the bath and began scrubbing myself to clean my flawless skin. As I wash my exposed back, I still felt my former slave mark, tracing the outer part. I grimaced, knowing no matter what I would do, I would never be able to get rid of this hideous mark on my otherwise flawless body.

It will never disappear. I will have to live with this fact for the rest of my life.

This was a simple truth just like how it is a fact as how despicable men are.

Men are impure and such filthy creatures. They are such barbarians. I shudder at the thought. Almost every man I met was so vile.

At that moment, I heard a crash and splash. I slightly turned my head and saw a man rise from the water.

"What?" How could there be a man here? I was slightly embarrassed at my naked condition he found me.

"Ah! I can stand. Oh this is a bath house." He then pointed at me. "That thing on your back." I then faced forward to hide the imprint I had. I then sank down to hide my naked body in the water before him. "I've seen it somewhere."

I glared and growled at him. This man was dangerous if he saw it. He would expose me and my sisters.

At that moment, my sisters came in. Marigold came in with a robe. "What happened sister?" Sandersonia asked. Marigold saw the man and quickly ran to the edge. I quickly got out of the water and wore the robe to cover my shame that I had hidden from the rest of the world.

I told them gravely. "He saw my back." They would know that we would have to kill him.

"No. I just..." The man held his hand up as if he had done nothing wrong.

"We would rather die than let anyone see what is on our backs." I told them gravely. Even if he didn't understand the situation, he would still need to be killed because that information would threaten our lives here.

"Why?" The man asked.

"Take what you saw to your grave. **Mero Mero Mellow.** " I used my powers. This man was going to turn to stone for sure after seeing my body. He didn't dodge it. It went through him. He looked confused as to what happened. He didn't change.

Did I miss? Were my powers not working?

I tried again making sure I hit him. I hit him for sure this time but he did not turn to stone.

We all tilted our head confused.

Did he not feel lust for my body? "Why isn't he turning to stone…? He saw me in the bath yet his heart still isn't moved." That was impossible. People would be overcome by my charm. I am the most beautiful woman in the world.

My other two sisters confirmed my thought. Sonia, the wiser of the two, stated "His fear of death must be overwhelming his lust. It's pathetic but he's a lucky man."

At that moment, he started running away. He jumped up toward the roof. Before I could attack him with my pistol kiss, he got caught.

I smiled. In that case, we were going to have a public execution with this one. It would be a good show.

* * *

At the Collesium

 **Hancock** **POV**

I was sitting on my throne looking down on this one. "Now I'm asking you man. Why and how did you come to this island?"

The man plainly said. "I'm telling you. I don't know. I was flying through the sky. Next thing I know I landed here."

"Lies! I won't be fooled. You must have some ulterior motive." As if that was a believable story.

"I'd just like to get out of here. Please. I need to go out to sea."

I looked at him already making up my mind. "Don't think you'll be leaving here alive. You will not escape." I was about to call for Bacura.

Then, I heard someone from the audience shout. It was one of the Guardian Warriors. "This man" I gave her a slight glare for the lack of respect she was showing me. "Lady Hebihime." She quickly added. "Doesn't seem like the kind of person who would lie. He really means everything that he says. I don't believe he means to harm our country." I motioned for her to come to the stage.

I analyzed her. "You're one of the guardian warriors?" How could she let this happen?

She nodded. "I am called Margaret."

"The moment that man entered our country where men are forbidden, his death was certain. Why do you stand up for him?" Was this woman foolish in trusting a man?

Margaret admitted "I was the one who allowed this man to enter our country."

"Wait!" I looked and also saw two more women. They both admitted some responsibility. I scoffed at their naivete. These people will only learn the hard way of the nature behind men.

Fools. I then walked down with a threatening gaze. I looked at three of my stupid followers who stood helpless at my beauty.

 **Mero Mero Mellow.**

I walked back to my throne. The man yelled worried. "Hey you! What did you do to them! I owe my life to them!"

I simply stated. "This is their punishment for saving you. Bring out Bacura." I then jumped to my throne and landed gracefully.

The Bacura came out but was quickly beaten by the man. It seemed that it was just a punch full of brute strength.

Well, he's stronger than he looks.

The man then started yelling at my people. "How could you all be ok with your friends turning to stone?" He glared at me when he finished.

I simply smiled at that. He really didn't understand the ways here. "No matter what I do. I will be forgiven and this is because I'm beautiful." He didn't falter. "Don't you feel the same way?" I asked.

He gave me a death stare. "God, you piss me off."

I fell to the ground on my back baffled. How could there be a man who isn't attracted to me? Even more, no one treated me like this since we escaped. "This is impossible." I said with my hand in my face. "There shouldn't be a man who won't become my plaything. That man's very existence. I can't stand it."

Seeing that, my two sisters went down to fight. It seemed like this would be a quick fight. Seeing him about to lose, I simply taunted. "Looks like this man is all talk."

The man looked at me and yelled. "Shut up you moron."

I fell back. I quickly recovered and leaned backward so I was facing the sky. I didn't want to see the man anymore. "Sonia! Mari! Choke the life out of that man as quickly as possible so that I never have to hear his mouth again!"

I smirked when I saw Sonia grab one of the stone statues. I knew what she was going to do. The man kept pleading with her not to crush the statue. Eventually, the man shouted and we felt his Conqueror's Haki. Some of the audience members fainted from that.

I looked at him a little more intimidated. We may have underestimated this man if he had the same Haki as I did. Who was he?

At that moment, he started producing steam out from his body. What was he doing? I've never seen that before. Could all men do that? The man seemed to become stronger. Still, he was no match for my sisters.

As the fight continued, that man was starting to beat my sisters. Marigold also used her fire technique and also hurt Sonia as collateral damage. Then, Sonia was on the edge over the skewers. Just as I was about to worry over her safety, the man jumped on her back to finish her off.

Just as I was about to yell, I looked at the situation more closely. He was actually covering "the Gorgon's eye" as we called it. I stopped yelling, pondering the situation. Even in the midst of his battle and we were enemies, he was actually protecting us. I yelled to everyone in the stadium.

"Stop this match. Before the Gorgon's eye is unleashed."

The people in the stadium ran out. My sisters also stopped fighting.

It reminded me of how Rayleigh, the first man who treated us with kindness, was helping us. I sat on my throne considering. Maybe this man would be different from what I thought. If there was a way to test him.

My two sisters apologized to me for losing the battle. I put my hand up because there was nothing we could do in that situation.

The man looked more worried at the statues. He asked me "Am I going to fight you next?" I shook my head no. There was no point. He looked relieved. "If that's so, then turn these guys back to normal." I looked at him. Maybe I could give him another test. "They were just helping me out. They didn't do anything wrong."

Why was there something within me hoping he passed this test? Who exactly was this man? "I can certainly undo the petrification. I will take only one of your requests." He looked surprised hearing that. "Either I change them back or I let you leave the island." He looked surprised. "Choose one and abandon the other." Show who you really are.

Immediately after I finished speaking, he kneeled down. "Ok. Thanks. Then please save these guys." He smiled at that. He bowed his head before the ground without a moment's hesitation. "Thank you very much!"[1]

My sisters and I were shocked. I looked at him surprised. This man wasn't like any other man. Remembering the deal I made, I quickly undid the petrification.

"Man." I looked at him with my heart beating a little faster than normal. "Come with us to the Kuja Castle."

* * *

Kuja Castle

 **Luffy POV**

I followed the two warriors to a room. I was getting hungry. The boss lady seemed to have gone inside the curtain.

"What's going on?" I asked them. "Is there an after battle meal?"

The tall green haired woman looked at me. "We really need to thank you. You have our gratitude."

I put my hands up. I wasn't sure but it wasn't a big deal what I did. "It's fine. It's not like I can eat your gratitude."

"If they had seen what is on our backs, we wouldn't be able to stay in this country any more." I wasn't sure what was going on. Whatever was on their backs wasn't a big deal.

"You may enter." I heard the voice from behind the curtain. "Come inside the curtain." I licked my mouth eager to eat. There must be delicious food inside.

As I entered inside, I was disappointed. I didn't see any food so I couldn't eat anything. "Excuse me. That's not food." I then looked at her. "Hey. Why are you naked?"

She paused a bit. "That was a very rude response." She then calmed down. "But I suppose that's to be expected." She hesitated and then turned around and moved her hair back giving me a clear picture of her tatoo. "This mark. You said you had seen it before. Take a look." I thought about it. "Do you know what this symbol means?"

It was hard to think because I was really hungry. "Answer me already." I know I had seen it somewhere. "This is not something that I show off to people." She added urgently.

I got it. "The one that I have seen is a little different. One of my friends, a fishman." I paused realizing I considered him a friend even though he treated Nami horribly. I hope Nami was alright wherever she was. "A fishman named Hachi has a similar mark on his forehead, and I got it mixed up with that." I proudly admitted. "I don't know what that mark actually is."

Outside the curtain, I heard a couple footsteps. "If you don't know. Then I will tell you." An unfamiliar voice said.

Everyone looked outside and saw an old woman. The boss lady said "How did you get in again?"

The old woman ignored her question. "The depth of this man's heart. Be at ease and tell him everything. You!" She pointed at me. "You're the pirate Monkey D. Luffy."

I nodded. "Yes. How did you know?"

The old woman handed a newspaper out for us to read.

* * *

 **Boa Hancock POV**

"You're pretty easygoing for what you just did." I became a little curious hearing that. "Yesterday, At the Sabaody Archipelago, a World Noble was sent flying with a punch. This man, unafraid of the Gods, was the perpetrator." Gloriosa said. I looked in shock. That must be a lie. There was someone who wanted to oppose them. How could he also travel here in such a quick time. "In response, the government dispatched an admiral but he miraculously escaped. Now he's here!"

Luffy shouted. "I'm telling you. I got sent flying all of a sudden." This man was telling the truth after all. My heart pounded a little. "I don't even know where this is. I don't regret what I did to the World Noble. What do you think that bastard did to my friends?" I looked as he confirmed the story.

"So. You raised punched a World Noble." I asked in disbelief. He nodded.

"It wasn't just me. Yuuto also punched a World Noble after me."

I started crying. It seemed like he and his friends were like that. "I had no idea idiots like you still existed in this world." To have this courage to go against them. "With no regard for your own life, you challenged heaven itself … just like he did." This man was not like before. At that moment, Salome, my pet snake, covered my body. "Very well. I will tell you everything." I then put on some clothes.

I told him how we were kidnapped by a White Fox Chaser on the Kuja ship. Almost immediately after that, we were branded and forced to be their entertainment. We were young, so we worked day and night. We were forced to eat devil fruits for their enjoyment. I shudder to think what would have happened to us when we were older. The only comfort we had was the extra food that would magically be sneaked in whenever we woke up. [2]

Eventually, four years later, Fisher Tiger, a fishman who hated humans, would free all of the slaves knowing the true pain. We were among those who he freed. Some of the ones who he freed went with him. Those marked previously marked by the World Nobles changed the mark into the symbol of the sun.

"Strangely enough, thanks to our powers, we were able to fool the country and protect our secret. If you hadn't covered up Sonia's back, we wouldn't have been able to stay on this island." I started crying. "We can't let anybody know about our past." Why was I willing to show such emotion before him?

"Even if we have to deceive an entire country,… I'll never show any weakness." I looked at my sisters. I always had to be strong for my sisters' sake even when we were slaves. "I won't be controlled by anybody ever again!..." I paused. "I'm afraid to let my guard down against anybody." I gasped for breath. "I can't face my own fear." I then hid behind my legs.

Luffy stood quiet. "It's been a while since you've let your emotions show like this." Elder Nyon said.

"Quiet" I told her. "You're a traitor." She was someone I could never forgive for living in the outside world where the World Nobles ruled. She never told me the reason.

"You be silent! You escaped the World Nobles only to find you had no way of returning to the island. You three were just lost hurt little girls." She shouted back at me. "Who do you think brought you back here? It's because I was living in the outside world." I didn't bother looking at her, knowing that she was hiding something from me.

I turned away from her. Not wanting to talk anymore. I said quietly toward Luffy. "You. Do you despise me for being a slave?"

His immediate response came. "I told you. I hate the World Nobles didn't I?"

I smiled at that. My heart started pounding little faster. "I've taken a liking to you. Tell me where you want to go! We'll go out tomorrow." I proclaimed. He smiled excited that he was going to where he wanted. I couldn't help but smile at that. He had such a cute expression.

"I want to go to Sabaody Archipelago to meet my crew!"

I chuckled. "We'll set sail tomorrow morning. Luffy." When I said his name, my heart flutterd a bit more. "I will personally take you to the Sabaody Archipelago in the ship of the Kuja pirates."

"That sounds great. I can't wait to leave." Just then, his stomach growled. He laughed sheepishly. "I need to eat."

I laughed. He was charming. "Go ahead." I wasn't feeling hungry for some strange reason. In fact, I was feeling kind of joyous. Was it because I told someone else my secret?

I looked at him leave and realized I didn't want him to leave me. It caused me discomfort. What was going on with me?

That night

I woke up from the night due to unbearable heart pain. I was also having a headache. Why was the idea of Luffy leaving the island so painful?

"Doctor!" I cried out, clenching my fist close to my chest. Surely, the doctor would know of a proper medicine to cure my ailment.

As the doctor diagnosed me, I lay there in warm sweat, unsure of what I had. I never had this before. I looked at her but she seemed unsure what to do.

Was I going to die because of this?

Just then, I heard footsteps approach. I turned and saw Elder Nyon who looked at my predicament. I didn't have enough energy to fight back. She paused and said "Shoot. Tomorrow morning." Those words caused me to yelp in more pain. It shocked throughout my body.

Why was my body reacting in this way? "Of course." I glanced at her response. Did she know what I was sick with? "This virus strikes out of nowhere."

I looked at her losing strength. "It hurts." I gasped for breath. "Am I going to die?" I asked her because only she seemed to have an idea.

She looked gravely at me. "Yes. I'm afraid it's fatal." I didn't have energy to look shocked. "The previous empress died of this illness as did the empress before her." I paused taking that knowledge. "The truth is I was afflicted by it as well, but I survived by fleeing this island." I looked at her. Was that the reason? How do I get rid of this ailment?

She continued. "Hebihime, Monkey D. Luffy is with me. He'd like to ask a favor of you. Will you hear what he has to say?"

Immediately hearing that, my body was pain free. I never recovered from an illness so easily like that before. I just hear Monkey D. Luffy's name, my heart fluttered, but I was pain free. "All right." I responded. Those in the room were shocked seeing how I recovered so fast. I surprised myself, but I knew I had to see him. I walked outside to the balcony where he was.

When I saw him, my heart stopped a beat momentarily. He seemed like he was shining radiantly. I paused. "What is it Luffy?" I asked nervously as if I wasn't sure how to speak before him.

He looked at me before responding. "I need a favor from you but you're sick." The fact that he needed my help made me feel happier. I forgot what was afflicting me. "Are you ok?" I blushed for one of the first times hearing how he was worried about me. Why was I acting this way before him? It actually felt nice.

I immediately responded. "No illness can defeat me!" I didn't want him to think I was weak. I was eager for him to do whatever task he wanted. I paused. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to help someone.

He looked at me and nodded. "There's a pirate named Ace who works for Whitebeard." I nodded, remembering the news, and looked at the sea. "He's going to be executed. He's my big brother." I looked in shock. Luffy has a brother. That seemed important for me to know. "Would you get on that Navy ship that came and take it to the prison where he is?" I didn't look at him but I could tell how much he cared about him. It was so charming.

I looked at him to give my reply. I froze a little bit because he looked at me so earnestly that it felt that there was only two of us in the world. I faintly heard my sisters cry out from the window, but I couldn't hear exactly what they said. I looked and saw Luffy's eyes. My heart started beating faster and faster.

I looked down unable to stare at Luffy's eyes any longer. I knew I would get lost in them. "You want me to accept the summons of the Shichibukai. If that is your wish," I then turned my body fully to him. "I will go wherever you wish." I didn't understand what was going on. All I knew was that I had to agree with whatever he wanted. I needed to calm my beating heart.

He smiled at that. "Thanks Hancock. Can we go now?" I nodded my head before turning away blushing. What was this weird feeling happening to me and my body?

This weird feeling is actually kind of nice and comforting.

First, I meet Luffy and wanted to kill him.

Then, I told him my past realizing he was a good man.

Next, I come with a disease and my cure is Luffy.

Now, I'm doing whatever Luffy wants. I think I'm acting how people acted around me. I would compel people to help me, but now I'm the one who is compelled to help him. [3]

As I got ready to pack, I told Elder Nyon. She was the only who seemed to know what was going on. "What's happening to me? I can't even think of refusing Luffy. I'm going back but I have a feeling." I turned away unsure what was going on.

She looked at me. "That's love."

Love? I looked up. This feeling is love?

Even though it makes me feel weak before Luffy, I can't help but be happy about this feeling. I looked at her. "The unbearable suffering you feel will weaken your body and eventually lead to your demise!" I looked at her. She then continued. "Your decision to go with Luffy will save your life."

I nodded understanding the situation. Does that mean I needed to marry him?

I blushed. Wait. That's going way too fast. We didn't even court/date or say 'I love you' yet. I wasn't sure if he felt the same way.

Still, I couldn't help but enjoy this feeling.

* * *

AN:

[1] This is Luffy's callback to what Vivi taught him on Drum Island.

[2] Read that part again. That's the only noncanon part I made in this chapter. Look forward to it.

[3] Yep. What a complete 180 after writing this part.

This was still a fun chapter to write. There was a little romance. Think of that to fit with the theme of Valentine's Day.

Feel free to leave a review if you think you know what's going to happen with Boa Hancock and my plans with her. Feel free to leave a review about any theories you may have.

Next chapter, we see what happens to Yuuto and how he hears about what happened at Marineford. Feel free to guess.

Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows. I really do appreciate the support and critique. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Until next time,


	31. Chapter 31 Impel Down

Disclaimer: I don't one One Piece or Chapter 933.

Alright, so we're actually at Impel Down because Yuuto was actually at Impel Down. One person was right in deducing that Yuuto was going to become a cyborg. (Kudos to RyofuHosen for reviewing it before I posted this.) If you thought something similar, good for you; it means that you've been paying attention. To be more accurate, he was going to become a Pacifista. The scientists decided to do the operation in Impel Down.

Some hints about this started back at Enies Lobby when Spandam mentioned to Robin that Yuuto would be receive special treatment at Impel Down. It's also the real reason why his bounty was alive only so that he could become a Pacifista. Another clue was that, Kuma tells the Zoro about him becoming a cyborg and he said that his friend would avoid this fate. Another was with the wannabe Pacifistas. Kuma also mentioned that Yuuto was non-negotiable in where he sent meaning that Kuma couldn't save him from the same fate.

Luckily, Luffy's at Impel Down at the same time.

Keep in mind that I made it so Luffy first lost to Magellan. Even though Luffy did unlock armament Haki since fighting Lucci, Luffy hasn't mastered it where he can use it consistently, so he eventually gets poisoned.

He met Ivankov and Inazuma already. They're starting to try and rescue Ace again.

Buggy, Galdino (Mr. 3) and Mr. 2 (Bentham) have helped Luffy.

I'm starting from the time when Luffy meets Jinbei and Crocodile.

* * *

Impel Down

Two days later

 **Luffy POV**

"Ace!" I crashed through level 6 hoping to free up my brother. I only saw a fishman chained to the cell. "He's not here." I looked confused.

"There's no mistake. This is the cell." My new friend Ivankov told me.

"Shoot!" I knew what this meant. "We were one step too late." The fishman kept looking at me.

"Are you Strawhat Luffy?" He asked as if unsure.

"Yeah!"

"They came just a moment ago! Go after them! They took Ace up the lift!" He quickly said. "Wait!" I looked at him wondering what it was. "One of the guards also mentioned that one of your crew member was also here!"

"Who?" I was excited. Who was here?

"The Black Fox."

I smiled happily to have one of my crewmates here.

* * *

 **Yuuto POV**

2 hours earlier

Impel Down Level 6 Different cell

I woke up but I had trouble opening my eyes. I tried moving my arms and legs but I couldn't move. I tried to say something but noticed even my mouth couldn't even twitch. Where was I? I couldn't even feel anything.

My mind was hazy. "We just finished modifying his blood and immune system to help him survive the next step. Are we ready to proceed with the new Chaser we have? Did we already take into account his Lineage Factor?We need this ready for Marineford." What was going on? The last thing I remembered was Kuma sending me and my friends. Why were people looking at my Lineage Factor? Were the others around me? I couldn't speak.

"We did. It didn't match up to the Chasers we have on file. But the project is ready." Another unfamiliar voice said. Was I back with the Chasers? I remember before I became a Chaser, I had to give them my entire DNA. They should have it already.

"He's supposed to be the Black Fox." I tried nodding when I heard at but couldn't. Was I drugged so I couldn't move? I couldn't resist. There was only one Chaser of a certain color. There were no two Black Foxes at the same time, but there could be a Black Fox and a Red Fox at the same time.

"I know but his Lineage Factor didn't match exactly with the Lineage Factor of the Black Fox we have on file." That was weird. I did the test before I became a Chaser. Maybe they forgot to change the file. I started out as Red at age 16, White at age 18, and then Black at the age of 20. There was no other Fox that would have become Black in a short amount of time.

"Ok. Then how about the other Fox Chasers around the time?"

Guess they'll find out. "His Lineage Factor doesn't match with any current Fox Chasers." I was confused. "The only closest one we got is Kaiya Kairi but she was dead about 15 years before he even started." That name sounded familiar. "Her rank was Blue Fox."

"Isn't his name supposed to be Kaiya Yuuto?" That was my name. A third different voice spoke out.

"Yes."

"Then that might be his mom. See if we can compare the previous Lineage Factor with a different chaser."

"Already done. It's also similar to a former Grey Owl but that's Kairi's brother Sora." Wait. Grey Owl was my dad. What was going on? "About half of his Lineage Factor is different from both of them." Why did I feel that I was forgetting something?

"Not just that. But notice that the Black Fox we have on file has the exact same Lineage Factor as the Grey Owl's." What? Why did my file have my father's Lineage Factor. My father was with me when they administered the test.

"Maybe it was a mistake."

"Well, now that we have a different Lineage Factor than what we expected that explains why he's still struggling." Another pause. "We're fortunate that the part that worked out with him would only help regenerate him. It's fine we can continue on with the project. He just won't have Kuma's Lineage Factor added to him." What project? Why would I need Kuma's Lineage Factor? I was slowly remembering more. Were my crew mates going to go through this as well? I couldn't even move or see anything. What were they doing to me?

"I thought we weren't going to add Kuma's anyway. Remember he's supposed to be our first prototype for the newer Pacifistas that Vegapunk had planned out." That didn't sound good.

"Perfect." As if that person ignored whoever said the last sentence. "The results are in. We just finished healing his body back to one hundred percent, gave him a much more improved immune system, and gave him an increased tolerance to pain and fatigue so he could survive the process." That didn't matter. If only I could physically get away. "When we found him two days ago, we made sure he couldn't move. His mind's still struggling, but he'll come around eventually. After that, we need to replace some of his bones with wapometal and seastone weapons." I was about to be some guinea pig.

I tried to move but couldn't. I must still be drugged. "Well, gentlemen. Let's get started. We need to start with his mind. Even after our brain washing attempts the last couple days, je's still putting up a good amount of resistance." Was that why my mind was foggy? "Let's use the experimental Mind Control Chip Vegapunk created. We've already wasted enough time." What?

"Why didn't we use that earlier you imbeciles? All the previous Chasers didn't have this problem. That Chip would give his brain all the information about current pirates. We don't have much time if you haven't noticed."

"Did you forget that it's experimental you moron? That mind control chip could also fry his brain especially if he's struggling this much already."

"Dr. Hart." So that was the name of one of the people around. "Dead people become Pacifistas." A fourth or fifth different voice. "We just kept him alive because to cultivate future skin cells and blood cells to help repair him. Now that's over we can begin. However, time is of the essence. Sooner or later, he'll develop immunity against our drugs soon because of what we put into his body. We need to begin now."

"If only we had a brain surgeon so we could have removed his cerebrum or the frontal lobe in the beginning"

"No idiot. Did you forget." A slight pause. "Oh right you're the newest member for our project. That would also mess up his motor functions. We need a Pacifista that can move with no problems. When we did that before, the Pacifistas would be slow to fight against people in the New World." After a slight pause.

"Here's the chip we have. Put it on his forehead so it can control take control of his brain before we kill him. We got at most 10 hours once we put the chip on to complete this process or else he dies and we can't experiment him any further. There's no use in a brain dead patient. Not to mention we have to finish by the 6th hour for the upcoming war. " I tried to struggle in vain. There were at least six different voices I heard. Each sounded ruthless.

I heard a sigh. "Pity Magellan took care of that pest. I wanted to see if our new experiment would beat beat his former captain."

At that moment, I heard footsteps approach me. "Now!" That was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness. [1]

* * *

 **Luffy POV**

Present time

I busted open another door. Ivankov, Inazuma, Jinbei, and Crocodile were behind me. Only Crocodile protested about me saving my crew member. We were wasting time, but I couldn't have that on my conscious.

As a captain, I needed to be able to save one of my crew members. Especially what happened when I failed 3 days ago.

I didn't trust Crocodile but the other people said they could watch over him.

I looked across the room and saw someone in a white coat standing over Yuuto. Yuuto was bound and had wires connected to his body. Other scientists began hiding while the guards came forward. The man in the white coat looked and smiled. "I suppose we will have to pause the experiment for now. Pity it's not complete we only had time to modify his other sensory organs. We were about to start with the rest of his body. Black Fox protect me with your life." I narrowed my eyes at that. I notice the knives the doctor had.

At that exact moment, the wires detached from Yuuto's body. Yuuto also stepped forward and took a defensive stance.

"Yuuto?" I asked. His eyes looked different. His eyes looked lifeless.

Without warning, he punched me. I grunted. He had his seastone gloves on. I quickly shouted. "Yuuto. It's me! Luffy." What did they do to him if he looked so emotionless? I then had to dodge his punches and kicks. His attacks were different somehow. They seemed quicker with less hesitation.

The mad scientist laughed. "That doesn't matter even if he knew you. He's under my control." I glared at him ready to get him to tell me the answers. Did he turn Yuuto into his puppet? That was worse than being dead.

At that moment, Crocodile growled Yuuto. "I remember this brat." Yuuto gave Crocodile a quick look.

 **Desert Spada**

Yuuto dodged the attack. He seemed faster too. He then punched Crocodile. He then jabbed Crocodile in the stomach.

Jinbei then tried to punch Yuuto from behind but Yuuto blocked it. Ivankov and Inazuma focused on taking out the remaining guards. I was trying to figure out what to do. I was worried about Yuuto but it seemed Yuuto was stronger since the last time I saw him. I looked at the scientist who smirked. Maybe, he would have the answers.

In that moment, Jinbei and Yuuto were dueling. Jinbei seemed to have been doing much better than both me and Crocodile were. I looked closer at the way Yuuto dodged. It was too mechanical of him but smoother than he normally dodged.

Just then, Crocodile sneaked behind Yuuto and stabbed him. I looked in shock. Yuuto rarely gets sneaked on when he's at full strength. Unless, Yuuto wasn't using Observation Haki.

I looked angrily at the scientist. What did he do to him? "Crocodile bastard don't kill him." I yelled. Yuuto didn't seem to have a will.

"That's if he doesn't kill me." I heard the grunt he had. Then at that very moment, Crocodile was flung across the room.

I then grabbed the scientist. "What did you do to him?" I bellowed in his face.

"I'll never tell." He looked.

"Straw hat boy. Allow me." I looked at Ivankov. He then pierced the scientist. "Emporio Truth serum."

The scientist gasped. "Now ask him your question."

I asked again. "What did you do to him?"

The scientist immediately responded. "We modified his body so that he has an increased tolerance to pain and doesn't get fatigued easily to prepare him to become a Pacifista specialized in killing Devil Fruit Users. His immune system is improved and he now has immunity to most poisons and diseases. We also healed his entire nervous system. He has an increased sense of sight and hearing as well as an improved reaction time."

I stopped him. Not interested. "Why is he listening to you?"

The scientist smiled. "It's the chip. You have to get rid of the chip on his forehead soon. The chip is enhancing reaction time even more and makes him fight without him thinking. The chip is also giving his brain information about all of the pirates we expect to see at Marineford and our allies. The chip's also waterproof. It is also meant to remove his will. But who knows what he will be like after you remove the chip. It's been two hours already." I was worried.

I stopped paying attention but I knew I had to get rid of that chip. That mystery chip was taking away his freedom.

"Jinbei" I called out. "There's something on his forehead. Get rid of it." I then knocked the scientist out.

"I'm trying Luffy-kun, but it's not easy." I looked over seeing the problem. Jinbei left himself vulnerable to attack every, time he tried to grab it.

I looked back and saw that Yuuto stopped bleeding from his wound that Crocodile gave earlier.

"I got it Luffy boy!" Ivankov then pierced Yuuto's body from behind. "Emporio Sleep Hormone." After a pause, Yuuto then kicked Ivankov away. Ivankov looked in shock. "That was enough to make three horses sleep immediately."

Yuuto kept fighting Jinbei. Yuuto was not slowing down at all. Crocodile was waiting for the opportunity to strike. Ivankov and Inazuma were thinking what to do.

"Jinbei. I'll distract him, you get the thing off." I started charging over. "Yuuto!" He didn't look at me, focused on Jinbei.

I punched behind him. "Listen to me! I'm your captain do you remember?" He didn't react, turned, and gave me a blank look. As he was about to kick me, I held his leg. He then punched me but I blocked it. I winced at the discomfort I felt from holding his fist with seastone. "Don't your remember the adventures we had on the Going Merry? The Thousand Sunny? In Alabasta? Skypiea? Water 7? Thriller Bark?" I shouted it in his face. His eyes showed no emotion. I didn't want to mention Sabaody because that was a failure on my part.

The entire crew separating from me. Who knows what they're going through if Yuuto ended up like this?

At that moment, I continue yelling. "It's my fault that you got in this mess. You always warned me about the dangers of the New World, making sure that everyone trained hard enough. I was always fooling around." I caught my breath and started crying. I realized how I didn't really focus during the training he made me do. I definitely could have trained harder. Even after Aokiji, I didn't realize that all of us would have to fight someone like him.

"Right before we enter the New World, all of us got separated. They made you this emotionless robot." I froze at the thought. What if Yuuto wasn't the same? I didn't want to lose Yuuto like this. He was better off dead.

At that moment, Jinbei took the chip off of Yuuto and destroyed it. Yuuto put his hands to his face in pain and yelled in pain. I stayed silent.

"Luffy," I paused. I heard him. He looked a lot better. "What happened?" I immediately hugged him. "What Luffy?"

I let out some more tears. "I thought you were dead." I was relieved. "Or become an emotionless robot."

He paused unsure. It seemed that he had a headache when he began massaging his head. Seeing me, he continued. "Never mind that. Where's our crew?" I shook my head not knowing where they are.

He looked around and saw some of the computers that interested him.

"Hm. Let me see if I can steal some information and give it to Franky and Sanji. Maybe they'll know what to do with this." He walked to the machine and a disk came out. He placed it in a case he found. "Let's go meet our crew." He then looked for something but it wasn't there.

"What happened to my necklace that allows us to communicate?" He was a little angry. He grabbed my necklace. "Hello. Can anyone hear me?" He spoke into my necklace. I grabbed onto him. I wanted to find our crew as well but there was something more important. [2]

"Actually. We need to save Ace first!" I cried out. "Then we'll meet with our crew! We'll meet at Sabaody remember?" Yuuto gave me a blank look but followed after me.

* * *

Scene Change

"You mean to tell me." Yuuto dodged another attack and shocked a Blugori. It seemed that he only had electric dials still attached to his gloves. "That Ace is going to get executed at Marineford." He ducked and punched a Blugori in the face. "We're going to waltz right in and get him back." He then kicked the earlier Blugori to make sure he was down.

"Yep. That's the plan. Shishi" It was a good plan wasn't it? I then beat the Vice Warden who was in charge.

Yuuto sighed. "It's not going to be easy as you sound. We're going to be tired once we get out of here." I looked over. He didn't seem that tired as I was though. Normally, Yuuto would break a sweat after fighting for the last ten minutes. "We have to fight through." He paused as if he was counting. "552,000 marines who plan on arriving there." I looked at him wondering how he knew that. He then paused.

Jinbei asked. "How do you know that?"

"I don't know. I just do." Yuuto just elbowed a guard. "Could it be from the chip they gave me?" Yuuto asked out loud. I shrugged. "Anyways, we can count on Whitebeard and his allies to help us out."

I nodded as if I was understanding what was going on. It just seemed that chip made Yuuto smarter.

A group came out to intercept. I narrowed my eyes. It was the same group from Jaya.

Jinbei cried out. "Teach. Why are you here? No. I suppose I should call you Blackbeard." Yuuto looked up from that. He started analyzing him.

"Luffy. Wasn't your brother chasing after Blackbeard?" Yuuto asked me. I nodded vaguely remembering that as well. He pointed. "That man's a Schibukai now." He took a stance.

"Zehaha. Why don't you lower your fists?" Blackbeard waved him down. Yuuto lowered them momentarily before raising them up again.

I remembered hearing from the old lady that Blackbeard beat my brother. "You're Blackbeard!"I yelled angrily.

Blackbeard looked confused for a bit. "Yeah. I guess I never introduced myself. Zehahaha. I never expected you to be my squad captain's little brother." He then explained about his plan. It seemed too complicated to me, but I just know that he was after me originally.

Hearing his taunt, I punched him furiously. Ready to go in Gear 2, I then leaped to the air ready to punch. One of his men, the masked champion, was about to tried to stop me by also jumping in the air after me.

Yuuto was ready and kicked the masked man's elbow. "Don't get in my captain's way." Yuuto paused a bit, as if he was unsure. "If you want to fight him, you have to go through me." He took a stance and called out "Jesus Burgess."

"I thought I hid my identity well and my bounty's relatively small at 20 million." The masked man growled and gave a look to Yuuto. "How do you know who I am?" [3]

Yuuto shrugged. "I just do." I see them start fighting and noticed that Yuuto seemed to have the upper hand. Knowing Yuuto could take care of himself, I ignored them and face Blackbeard.

In my anger, I punched Blackbeard. However, as I made contact with his body, I felt pain. He grabbed my punch and pushed me down.

Yuuto had his hands full with the masked wrestler. He took a quick look. "Blood? But Luffy's actually a rubber man." He then elbowed his opponent in the face and tried to finish him off. He looked at my opponent once more. "Is that darkness?" To which Blackbeard nodded and smiled maniacally.

Just as I was going to continue fighting, Jinbei held his hand. "Luffy and Fox stop!" I paused. "What's important right now?" I stopped and looked at Yuuto and his opponent. Yuuto paused looking at his opponent who was catching his breath. Yuuto and I both nodded at each other. We had to save Ace.

"You're stronger than I thought." I looked at Blackbeard who said that. "Your Haki is stronger than before too." He took a hard look at Yuuto. "You must be that Chaser in his crew." Blackbeard grinned. Yuuto didn't respond to that. "I see you escaped becoming a Pacifista. I heard it takes a week for the entire process but they were going to speed your process up." I wasn't sure what was going on but I breathed in relief happy that I had saved him in time.

A prisoner from behind yelled "Magellan!" He must have been running from him.

Ivankov then yelled. "Straw hat boy. We need to run." I nodded and started walking toward Blackbeard. He didn't stop me.

"I'll definitely save Ace!" I shouted.

"Zehahaha. I won't tell you that's impossible." I took a couple more steps. "Sky Island was real right?" I looked at him because we were side by side. "One Piece is the same. It definitely exists." At that glance, I knew I had found another rival who was also going for One Piece. Another rival for who wanted to become Pirate King.

I gave him a serious look telling him that the next time I saw him I would kick his ass for sending Ace here.

"Forget him Luffy." Jinbei said. Everyone was in front of me. "Luffy. Let's save Ace first."

Yuuto continued. "We'll beat Blackbeard and his crew some other time." He looked at Blackbeard more as if to analyze him.

I nodded and continued running out of here to free Ace.

* * *

Timeskip

On the battleship

 **Yuuto POV**

We made our escape from Impel Down. Jinbei, Crocodile, Mr. 1, Buggy (of all people), and I had gotten a battleship and defeated the marines there. While I was fighting them, I was developing a headache. I didn't have this problem against Blugoris or against Jesus Burgess. Luckily, the marines were weak and the others soon joined us to over power them.

Luffy, Ivankov, and Inazuma had successfully stalled Magellan and gotten away. However, Inazuma was resting from the injuries. Bentham who was Mr. 2, had stayed behind to ensure that we could get away.

Even though he was an okama, he proved himself to be a great … person to do this. He would have made a great friend compared what I saw him again.

Luffy was understandably angry and confronted Jinbei about abandoning him. I looked away, knowing that it was something we had to do. This was a necessary sacrifice.

I see Luffy arguing. I looked away. He didn't want someone to sacrifice their life for him. Luffy secretly hated being weak. I wonder how he would feel once he knew about what Brook did back at Thriller Bark.

If it was Brook.

I saw Jinbei pass Luffy a Den Den mushi.

I kept quiet, not wanting to say a word. I had already given Bentham my respect before I last saw him.

Almost everyone on the ship was crying because of his sacrifice. All of us cried for him.

"Straw hat!" We finally heard him shout. "Make sure you save your brother!" At that moment, our ship passed through the Gate of Justice. We couldn't hear him anymore with our connection cut off.

Everyone looked back and cried out his name. I gave him another salute as a show of respect.

After a while, people started talking. I took this time to figure out what happened to me. I noticed that I had more endurance and my body seemed to be in perfect condition. However, my memory seemed off. I couldn't remember everything and some things that I thought of didn't feel right. I wasn't sure of certain events anymore.

I remember my crew and how they look like. I'm sure of it. I'm not sure if I remember everything they did or what they did.

I looked over at Luffy. My memories told me that he was a liar and that he had attacked using only kicks, but looking at him, I realized he had no talent for lying.

What's even worse was he showed that he had rubber powers. I thought that was Nami who had rubber powers.

There's no way for Luffy to suddenly get rubber powers and master them.

When I met Luffy, I remember that my head hurt as if some memories were coming back.

I looked over at Luffy. Maybe after we save Ace, he could remind me about the crew. I needed to figure out what was right about my crew.

For example, I was thinking that Zoro was the navigator or the archaeologist of the group. I couldn't recall whether Sanji asked women for their panties or shouted proudly that he was a pervert. I was sure that Franky was good with his hands but he could be the doctor, the shipwright, or the cook. [4]

All of those things felt important to me knowing each and every one of my crew.

Could I even make new memories? If I slept, would I lose more memories?

I need to check with a doctor. Was that actually Usopp or Franky or someone else? They were the smartest ones around.

All of a sudden, I heard a sudden uproar distracting my earlier thoughts. Buggy and the other prisoners didn't know that we were going to save Ace. I looked at Buggy because Luffy said he met him before but I don't remember meeting someone as pathetic as him before.

Then again, these other prisoners seem to have taken him as their leader.

Just then, the Den Den mushi rang. I answered it before Luffy had a chance. It was out of instinct.

"This is Marine Hq." I heard.

Without missing a beat, I answered back. "Hello HQ. This is the Takao. What is it?" I was glad I remembered the name of the ship as I was launched here by Jinbei. I looked at Luffy making sure he wouldn't take the phone.

"Uhh…. Impel Down reported that this ship has been taken by the escaped prisoners. Is that true?"

"No sir." I lied smoothly. "Otherwise, how would I, a marine, be talking on this ship?"

"Then let me speak to your commanding officer Onigumo."

"Uh I'm sorry sir. Vice Admiral Onigumo is not even on the ship." I continued recognizing the name. I wasn't sure if he was vice admiral but I felt confident about it. "The highest rank officer closest to me is Commodore Daigin." I don't know why but when I saw him I knew that was his name. We had flung him out of the ship.

"Hm… " I could tell there was a grin on the other side as if I failed a secret test. "Then let me speak to him. Then we'll dismiss the news."

I paused. Unsure of how he sounded like. Ivankov then implanted hormones into himself and motioned me to hand the den den mushi. "Ok. Sir." I handed the phone to Ivankov trusting him. Otherwise, we were going to be found out.

"Hello Marine HQ. This is Commodore Daigin speaking." The prisoners looked in shock. His voice changed. After a couple moments, he started shouting. "What do you mean I'm not Commodore Daigin. I am Commodore Daigin." I guess the voice wasn't enough.

Another pause. "That man is an impostor. I am the real Commodore Daigin. That was a joke earlier."

At that moment, Luffy grabbed the Den Den mushi out of his hands. "I'm Luffy." All of us facepalmed. I expected this from Usopp because I thought he couldn't lie. It turns out Luffy was the one who couldn't lie. I smiled realizing my instincts still knew what Luffy would do.

I looked over at Ivankov who apologized. "Sorry Black Fox. They said the real Commodore Daigin sent a message to them already. The Marine HQ then asked me when I enlisted when I denied it."

I shrugged unable to do anymore. I was comforted in knowing my whole memory problem wasn't a big deal. I could trust my instincts.

After Luffy talked with Marine HQ, it revealed a couple things.

They weren't going to open Marineford for us. I nodded at that. That shouldn't have surprised us. How were we going to enter in we would figure that out later.

Buggy sailed on Gold Roger's ship. I looked at him. He looked like an idiot, so it wasn't like he was a prominent member.

Unfortunately, that seemed to inspire the prisoners to follow Buggy. I glanced. It seemed like there was going to be a mutiny.

Luckily for us, at that moment, Buggy showed his conniving side to make use of this opportunity. I looked at the prisoners and noticed how gullible they seemed.

Whatever, at least this way, I don't have to waste energy fighting them.

Just as we reached the gate, Buggy motioned toward the gate and it opened.

Ok. Maybe this was a sign. He may be stronger than I originally thought.

Just as we entered in, Ivankov told Luffy. "Well then. I can't wait to see your and Ace's father. I'm sure he's not happy that Ace is imprisoned." I looked confused and felt that I was forgetting something that Luffy had previously said.

"Eh?" Luffy said. "Me and Ace don't have the same father." Ok. That rings a bell now. I remember someone saying this now. "Ace's father is Gold Roger."

I faceplanted. I remembered that wrong and all of us looked in shock. I thought Luffy's father was Gold Roger and Ace's father was Dragon. I guess my memories got that wrong as well.

"Oh yeah. It's supposed to be a secret."

I sighed. My memory was a bigger problem than I thought if I couldn't remember that correctly.

* * *

[1] Just my thought/theory about how they make Pacifistas.

From what we've read so far (if you are caught up to date and up to chapter 932), Lineage Factor is essentially DNA and we had the Vinsmokes modify the Lineage Factor of Sanji and his siblings. Devil fruits also change one's Lineage Factor.

I think Lineage Factor is also involved in making Pacifistas and explains why they all look like Kuma. I also believe that's how they have Kizru's ability in them as well changing the weapons fired. I think Vegapunk understood how the light energy/DNA works and was able to implement them in the cyborg.

[2] See note 4 first.

It's his watch which he still has. He thought it was a necklace that allows them to communicate.

The necklace doesn't work because they're all far apart from each other and Yuuto forgot how to use it.

Luffy doesn't really use it; he just wants to listen in what other people say.

[3] Jesus' bounty was just revealed in the recent Vivre Card released.

[4] Yes, the chip/the experiment does have bad results. It messed up some of his memories. That's why I intentionally wrote that Brook sacrificed himself for Thriller Bark because that's how he remembers it. He can remember how they look like but he isn't sure about their abilities or actions anymore.

I suppose his memory about Sanji is not that far off.

His memory will play a role in the near future and will eventually get resolved. It's not that he has amnesia; his memories are mixed together. Think of it as a future running gag.

The chip also made him able to identify marines enlisted at the time and other pirates if you noticed.

* * *

So what really happened is that I made Yuuto more like a superhuman than a cyborg similar to Captain America or Cloud from Final Fantasy VII. Don't own Marvel or Square Enix.

Still, if you guessed cyborg or had similar thoughts, that was what I was heavily foreshadowing and Luffy actually saved Yuuto from the fate of being a Pacfista. I still consider you guys as right, but Luffy ended up saving him. Kuma didn't see that Yuuto being saved coming.

Please leave a review about any theories you may have during the 2 year time skip. I will be writing about a little bit about everyone and what they are doing during the two year time skip to develop their characters and their skill sets.

I will focus more on Yuuto. Again, see if you were paying attention to something I revealed about Yuuto because that will come important in a couple chapters.

I really don't know when I'll actually start rewriting the beginning parts of my story because I kind of kept coming up with ideas for Sabaody to Punk Hazard and then Reverie (Levely). I am enjoying the idea of connecting a couple plot points together.

I also plan on writing more chapters in 3rd person POV from now on. I will write first person POV if appropriate.

Please leave a review and thanks for the support!


	32. Chapter 32 Marineford

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Chapter 934.

 **3/6/19 Update: To Kinryu Arimoto, voice actor of Whitebeard who passed away on 2/1/19. This chapter was uploaded on 2/22/19 but felt the unintentional timing should have been included.**

I read a question from the recent review that I would like to clear up. This was what I essentially wrote to that review.

To put it simply, yes, Yuuto can still use Observation Haki. In the last chapter, I mentioned that Yuuto couldn't use Observation Haki temporarily.

The way I interpret Haki is that to use Haki you need to exercise your will dominantly and have a free will. Yuuto couldn't use Observation Haki because he was being controlled by the scientists. He had no free will and therefore could not use Haki.

I did mention this before with the zombies back at Thriller Bark. There was one zombie (Black Lion) that Yuuto knew had Armament Haki when he was alive. However, because, he was a slave with NO FREE WILL, he could not use Armament Haki.

Here is some extra info about **how I** think Haki works [not what Oda thinks]

To me, Observation Haki is using your will to sense and analyze what other people are doing. Certain ones will be naturally good at that.

Armament Haki is using your will to fight others. Think of it as more of like a weapon to help defend oneself. That's also a reason why Yuuto hasn't been able to unlock Armament Haki. (Minor spoilers that last part will be covered in later chapters and has been hinted at).

Conqueror's Haki is using your will to 'rule' over others. It's a massive upgrade over armament Haki where your will in which conqueror's haki is supposed to defeat others. We are talking about absolute domination not just fighting, What makes it so rare is that these people are natural born leaders and have certain charisma in them. Not only that, but you require a very strong will power in order to fully use it. It is also draining to use Conqueror's Haki

Of course, **I could be completely wrong about Haki but that's my "headcanon" about Haki.**

I hope that clears it up.

Onward to the story of Marineford.

* * *

Marineford

3rd Person POV

As Luffy, Yuuto, Jinbei, Crocodile, Buggy, Ivankov, and the others made their entrance to Marineford, everyone in the battle looked in shock. It was broken with Ace yelling throughout the battlefield, "Luffy!"

Luffy, a little soaked from the water, waved happily over to Ace. "I finally found you!" He then looked around and prepared to get ready to go to Gear 2. "We're here to save you!"

Marines murmured among themselves seeing who they were dealing with. Revolutionaries. Wanted criminals. Legendary pirates. It was quite a force.

In the moment of confusion, Crocodile used the time to attack Whitebeard. "It's been a while Whitebeard!" A shout was heard.

Before he could impale Whitebeard, Yuuto kicked the hook away while Luffy punched Crocodile with armament Haki.

"You two pests. I thought we had a deal." Crocodile glared at the two Strawhat pirates. He analyzed how the two had gotten stronger since they fought a couple months ago.

Yuuto pointed at Luffy as he understood his silent orders. Luffy nodded before continuing. "This is one guy that Ace really cares about." Whitebeard took a closer look at Luffy.

"Boy…" Luffy turned around. Crocodile and Yuuto started fighting in the meantime. Eventually, other Whitebeard pirates kept Crocodile away. "That Straw Hat you wear. It bears a strong resemblance to the hat Red Hair once wore." He gave a firm look, remembering some of the memories.

"Oh. You know Shanks. I'm borrowing this hat from him." Luffy freely divulged. Whitebeard nodded understanding. This must be who Shanks gave his arm for.

Whitebeard gave another look at him. The boy was an amateur at best. He questioned out loud. "Are you here to save your brother?"

Luffy nodded. "That's right!" He boldly proclaimed.

Whitebeard grimaced realizing how weak Luffy was still. "I hope you understand who you're up against. You will be simply be throwing your life away." He didn't want to worry over a such a novice.

Luffy then got ready. "Shut up! It's not your job to decide that. I've heard about you. You want to be the Pirate King right?" Whitebeard looked curious at that. Where did that child get that idea? He didn't want that. He didn't even have enough time left to become Pirate King nor was he the one who Roger was waiting for. "Well, the one who's going to be the Pirate King is me!" Luffy announced to the whole world.

Whitebeard analyzed Luffy at that trying to remember this feeling he just felt. It was weird. Logically speaking, this novice couldn't become Pirate King, but here he was. It was a familiar feeling he had when he talked with Gol. D. Roger. Yuuto looked on at the two interact curiously. Yuuto noticed a smile on Whitebeard's face. "Well… I'll be damned." Whitebeard said that part quietly, reminiscing the old times. "You'd better not get in my way green horn!"

To hell with logic. Logic never applied to Roger and what he did. Maybe this boy was the same.

"I'll do this however I damn well! I'm saving Ace myself." Luffy challenged Whitebeard. Whitebeard grinned.

Yuuto could only shake his head. If he had only seen Luffy's side of the conversation, he would have reprimanded Luffy for provoking Whitebeard. However, him seeing Whitebeard's reaction showed that Whitebeard had some respect for Luffy. There was something special about Luffy and Luffy didn't realize it himself.

Even with some of his memories missing, Yuuto could only chuckle at the fact that logic never really applied to Luffy.

Luffy, oblivious to this, decided to tell Whitebeard what he heard. "Hey old man." Yuuto flinched a little hearing that Luffy was being rude but kept at it. "We need to hurry. We heard they're going to execute Ace ahead of schedule."

Whitebeard looked confused. Yuuto expounded. "They mentioned something about Objective Tottz. They were also going to change formation. Any ideas?" Yuuto looked around studying the current formations of the troops. "Hm."

Whitebeard looked at both Luffy and Yuuto. "I see. This is valuable information. Thanks!" Luffy nodded before running ahead. Yuuto was about to follow him. "Wait. Boy!" Yuuto turned around realizing that Whitebeard was talking to him. "Let me see what your captain can do."

Yuuto paused. "But." He needed to make sure Luffy wouldn't get hurt.

"No buts brat. That boy seems to have a lot of potential." Yuuto looked curious. Whitebeard really acknowledged him. "I want to see what he can do. In the meantime, brat." Yuuto looked up wondering what to do then. "Are you the Chaser that joined his crew." A nod. "Hm..."

A pause. Yuuto was unsure what was going on.

"I heard a rumor about the Chasers becoming human weapons. You're lucky."

"Almost did." Yuuto breathed out in relief. Whitebeard looked on. "That rumor does seem to be true. They just rescued me about 4 hours ago." Another pause. Yuuto suddenly looked in alarm. "I think they're coming behind us." Yuuto wasn't sure how he could tell the Pacifistas were coming.

Whitebeard looked. "Oh. I see. So that's their plan. Boy. Stay here with me. You probably have an idea about what everyone can do." Yuuto gulped.

"I'm not sure." He was unsure about what the chip may have done to him. Maybe he could have done this before but not now. He then took a glance at Marco who was approaching them. "Marco the Phoneix. Has the Tori Tori no Mi Model Phoenix." Yuuto then used his Observation Haki. "He seems to be one of the fastest ones here." Yuuto recited the information as if from memory "Marco prefers to use his feet to attack."

Whitebeard grinned. "Well. That's what I expected. Foxes are meant to be cunning. I'm happy that you're fighting alongside of us." Yuuto was unsure how him being a Fox Chaser was helpful. "Marco, my son, any objections to him helping to take the lead."

"No Sir." Marco replied. This was the first time he met Yuuto and for Yuuto to know Marco's attacks preference showed something.

"Good. Here's a Den Den boy." Whitebeard handed the Den Den mushi over to him.

Yuuto nodded. This wasn't the time to be awestruck or nervous. "Everyone, I sense we have a pincer attack coming from the rear." He tried looking for everyone's positions.

"Who is this?" Came a reply.

"You're not Whitebeard." Came another reply.

"Just a friend." Yuuto replied smoothly.

"Why should we listen to you?" Yuuto flinched at that.

Whitebeard held the Den Den. "Everyone just trust him. He gave us important information." Whitebeard defended. "He told us that they plan on executing Ace early."

"That means we need to hurry."

"But if we hurry, we're playing to them. It's too careless of a leak." Yuuto continued. He remembered they had called the ship before to see. It was too careless. "That's why there's a pincer attack. We hurry to the middle they attack us. Those on the boats should be on the lookout for another boat approaching on our back side. Take them out before they come here."

"Should we engage?" Came another unfamiliar voice.

"They're Pacifistas. Human Cyborgs." Yuuto explained. "They will be tough. Expect some heavy losses." He said truthfully. "Have some remain at the back and sink the boats before they approach. Those closer to the front split up." Yuuto ordered out while looking at the layout of Marine ford. "We have to make some sacrifices. Remember Ace is our priority remember. We need a clear way out of here."

"Squard you there?" Whitebeard asked. No response. "Where is he?" He asked out loud. Time was of the essence. "Alright Decalvan brothers lead the way."

"We'll take the right."

"I'm on the left side."

"I'll also go right."

"I'm in the middle already."

Yuuto agreed. "A three way attack sounds good." A pause. "Let your men know about the arrangement. The ones close to the rear so your forces will be attacked first. Try to take enemies out before they land on the battleground."

"It's a worthy sacrifice. Remember that we are shields for Whitebeard's army." A commander exclaimed.

"Right. We'll make sure no one sneaks attack us."

"And when we're done, we will have a clear way to escape."

"Protect the rear!"

Whitebeard nodded in approval. "Don't worry. None of my sons are going to die. Not on my watch." He looked at Luffy's declaration at that moment to Ace and smiled. "Marco, make sure you don't let that boy die now."

"Roger that." Marco smiled at that.

Yuuto could only smile at that. It seemed that Luffy had the respect of Whitebeard and Marco which was a good sign for his dream. Luffy would become Pirate King.

"We just intercepted them. We sunk one ship but the others came out." Yuuto and Whitebeard looked back. The Pacifistas arrived.

"These are government weapons." Yuuto quickly ordered out. He then noticed someone walk up. " 'Maelstorm Spider' Squard with a 210 million bounty." Squard looked at Yuuto warily. "Prefers to use his katana."

"Squard. I'm glad to know that you're all right. You didn't respond earlier."

"Sorry about that. Our allies in the rear are taking a beating." Squard slowly approached Whitebeard as he said that.

Yuuto sighed. "Sorry. Those Pacifistas seem really strong but we don't want them to come to behind us in the battle." He didn't like this one bit.

"Don't worry. I will join the battle soon." Whitebeard said.

As soon as Squard walked by Whitebeard's side, he suddenly turned around with his katana out ready to stab Whitebeard.

"What is the meaning of this Squard?" Whitebeard asked. Yuuto had stopped Squard's hands preventing him from his sword from touching Whitebeard. "Thanks Chaser."

"I'm happy I made it in time." Yuuto breathed out. He had sensed the killing intent right as Squard passed by.

Marco then came over. He flung Squard to the ground. "Squard. What are you doing? Why?"

Squard then started crying. "You" He accused Whitebeard. "You made a deal with the marines. All of us for Ace." They all paused at the accusation. "He led us into a trap. You sold out the 43 captains following you in exchange for Ace's life. The Whitebeard Pirates and Ace would be spared."

Whitebeard, Marco, and Yuuto paused in silence. Squard had the Den Den mushi on. There were shouts of accusations and confusion. "Look right now. All our forces are being targeted except the Whitebeard pirates."

"Don't be ridiculous. Whitebeard would never do betray his allies." Marco said.

Squard angrily pounded the floor. "I didn't want to believe it. But look how it's true."

Yuuto sighed calmly to explain why everyone else was being attacked except the middle. "That's because of the current positioning. Remember most of the Whitebeard pirates are in the middle. Everyone else is in the back facing the Pacifistas."

Whitebeard was breathing heavily and looked tired. At that he heard a cry. "Whitebeard!" He looked over to see Crocodile. "I didn't lose to such a pathetic man who would betray his comrades."

Marco nodded realizing there was some truth to it. Squard completely caught Whitebeard off guard. At that moment, he was afraid for Whitebeard's sake. It seemed that attack would have actually hurt Whitebeard seeing his current condition. He looked over to Yuuto thankful for the protection.

Whitebeard recomposed himself gripping his bishento. "Squard, you almost attacked your own father with your blade." Squard looked afraid ready to face his punishment.

Whitebeard suddenly hugged Squard. "Even so. I still love you."

"What?" Squard looked in shock. Yuuto and Marco stayed silent to watch what would happen.

"Who told you that lie?" Whitebeard asked. Yuuto tensed up. There was a certain threat under it.

Squared hesitated before revealing. He sobbed. "One of the marines. He said if I killed you, I would be spared."

Whitebeard nodded understanding. "So Akainu said that." Squard nodded. "I know how much you hate Roger. But Squard, the son doesn't bear the sins of the father." Squard started tearing up. "Be good to each other. Ace isn't the only special one. You are all my family." He released Squard from his hug.

Whitebeard breathed heavily and looked at the platform where Ace and Sengoku were. "You haven't lost it Sengoku." Whitebeard challenged Sengoku and he responded. Marco knew what was going to happen.

No one messes with Whitebeard's family and gets away with it so easily.

"I gave away my sons' lives?" Whitebeard then punched the sky breaking all the ice surrounding them.

Yuuto marveled around the destructive power. "So this is the power of the Gura Gura no mi."

"If you are pirates. Choose who to believe yourselves!" Whitebeard shouted. He was ready to fight. He knew how much time he had left. "If you want to fight with me, be prepared to give up your lives!"

Squard fell again crying, realizing he shouldn't have doubted his father. "Please forgive me."

At that moment, Whitebeard leaped off the Moby Dick ready to begin his assault.

"Get ready. The World's Strongest Man is attacking." Sengoku shouted to ready his troops.

Yuuto looked around. "It seems that the marines' trick failed. " In that instant, the morale of Whitebeard's forces was the highest it's been. "I don't need to give orders anymore." It was pointless now that all of Whitebeard's forces were stronger. Yuuto put on his mask and leaped off leaving Marco and Squard.

He ran to follow after Whitebeard. He saw John Giant blocking Whitebeard's way.

Yuuto heard a loud clash of metal between Whitebeard and John.

"You're in my way!" Whitebeard then pushed him back and activated his powers one more time causing the whole ground to tilt. Many lost their balance. Yuuto jumped in the air and began skywalking for a bit.

After the ground stopped shaking, Yuuto landed on the ground and dodged a sword slash. He turned and spoke out, "Vice Admiral Strawberry." Yuuto looked at him more. "Prefers to fight using his two swords and his head."

Strawberry looked at Yuuto curiously. "So you're the Chaser that just escaped. Pity otherwise you would be fighting with us." Strawberry then started trying to cut Yuuto while Yuuto sidestepped.

At that moment, Yuuto elbowed him. As the elbow connected, Yuuto's headache came again. Yuuto tried to ignore it and did not continue attacking. The elbow was not enough to bring Strawberry down.

Strawberry looked. "Hm?"

At that moment, Yuuto tried punching Strawberry but as the fight continued, Yuuto's headache got worse and worse. Soon enough, Yuuto increased the distance between the two of them and started rubbing his head.

"You have a headache?" Strawberry asked in a tone that he seemed to know what was going on.

"It's none of your business." Yuuto snapped back.

Strawberry snickered and started attacking on the offensive. "Let me try something. Code 587." Nothing happened. "I guess that didn't work. Have you been getting these headaches since you escaped Chaser?" Yuuto couldn't help but nod. "Are they more common when you've been fighting marines?" Yuuto also nodded.

He smiled. "I guess you did receive some of Pacifistas' brainwashing then." Yuuto looked confused. "Pacifistas were designed to obey marines and protect them." Yuuto nodded at that.

"I'm not obeying or protecting you." Yuuto said out loud. Still, this must have been why he could have identified the marines and the pirates. That brainwashing must also be messing up with his memories.

"You're not, but some of the program's in you. In the beginning, the prototypes had a headache when they attacked the marines." Strawberry continued. "Of course, it was modified later."

Yuuto nodded. "I see." He was thankful for Luffy for saving him then. It sounded like being a slave. He paused at the information he was being given freely. "Why did you tell me that?"

"Because it's not going to matter once I capture you." Yuuto then ducked an downward slash. He looked at him."Once I capture you, we'll complete the process so it doesn't matter if I tell you. You'll be effectively dead."

"Sorry. I prefer to be alive." Yuuto nodded. He had to finish this fast.

"Please. You worked for the World Nobles before. Almost as a slave. What difference does it make?"

Yuuto sighed. He didn't want to wok for that kind of life anymore. He then looked in the distance. He looked at his opponent. If he could win. He could spar with vice admirals before but now with the disadvantage, he had to finish this as fast as he could.

"Let's try another one. Activate Protocol Hypnos."

At that moment, Yuuto suddenly felt tired. "What did you do?" He was about to go sleep. It was as if all the adrenaline had been gone.

Strawberry smirked. "So it did work. It's a shutdown code for Pacifista. Now we'll-" He was suddenly cut off by someone who intervened.

Before Yuuto fell asleep, he saw who saved him. "Speed Jiru." He was about to continue and give his information before falling asleep.

14th Commander Speed Jiru looked at Yuuto fall asleep. He picked him up and ran to the medical squad of the Whitebeard Pirates.

* * *

Scene Change

At that moment

Luffy was rejuvenated by Ivankov's Tension Hormone despite the danger..

Whitebeard was struck down by Akainu's attack that took part of his face.

That soon turned to naught as Whitebeard punched Akainu one more time.

His commanders appeared behind Whitebeard. "We will protect my boss's pride!" They were to make sure Whitebeard had no coward's scar, a scar on his back.

Whitebeard only looked back and scoffed. "You boys care too much about that." He then looked and saw the executioners try to kill Ace.

"Stop!" Luffy yelled.

At that moment, everyone stopped. A burst of Conqueror's Haki was released knocking out some of the weaker combatants.

Realizing the potential, Whitebeard yelled. "Men! Use your strength to support Strawhat Luffy!" He gave a quiet look to recompose himself. The marines were after Luffy. He looked once more at Luffy curious to see what he would bring to the next age.

Just as a group of marines ran to intercept with Luffy, Whitebeard's followers intercepted them.

"This is serious Strawhat boy. The World's Greatest Pirate is testing you!" Ivankov said.

Luffy nodded. He could care less. His first priority was Ace. As he started climbing up the stairs to reach the platform, he was cut off by one more marine.

Garp.

"Grandpa! Get out of the way!"

"Luffy, I've been fighting pirates since long before you were even born!" Garp shouted in a way to convince himself. He was a marine first. "You'll only get through over my dead body!" Luffy looked shocked. Even though Garp had almost killed Luffy multiple times, he couldn't help but still falter a little before his grandpa. Luffy then saw Ace and continue running. "This is the path you two have chosen!"

"I can't do that Granpda! Please move!" Luffy shouted not wanting to hurt him.

"If you can't, then Ace will die!" Garp yelled. "I won't hold back." He got ready to punch. "Luffy, you're my enemy!" He yelled to convince himself one more time.

It was no use. Just as Garp got ready to punch Luffy, Garp remembered about a little cheerful boy who loved to eat meat and another impulsive rude boy who hated his existence.

In that moment of hesitation, Luffy struck Garp.

Before he fell unconscious, he looked at Luffy silently as he continued his way. Maybe Luffy will save Ace. He was about to chuckle bitterly, realizing that woman from his grandson's crew was right all along and how wrong he was. He then fell unconscious [1].

Luffy ignored Garp and continued running. He had the key from Hancock out ready to free Ace. He ran past one guard who was slowly waking up.

"Luffy, you have the key?" Ace asked.

"Yes. Ace. Just wait!" Just as Luffy tried to unlock, the key broke.

To make matters worse, Sengoku turned into a giant golden Buddha and was getting ready to strike both brothers down.

Luckily, the guard who was waking up turned out to be Galdino. Luffy quickly blocked Sengoku's attack with Gear 3.

The impact caused the platform to break. Galdino quickly made another key using his ability.

"Luffy." Everyone heard a voice. "You've always been this way and you do the stupidest things."

At that moment, everyone cried because they achieved one of their objectives.

"Don't get careless Luffy." Ace warned. They were about to land in the midst of a war.

"Right!" Luffy smiled. It was like old times when they had to dine and dash.

As the two brothers and Galdino landed, they were immediately surrounded by marines. Ace looked at Luffy. "I never even dreamed that one day you would be saving me." Luffy smiled at that happy to have helped his big brother for once. "Thanks Luffy."

"Shishishi. It's all because Yuuto and old Whitebeard guy and his crew helped me out." Luffy admitted.

As the marines rushed in, they were quickly overwhelmed by those two.

"This really takes me back Ace." Luffy smiled at the moments they had to dine and dash.

"It sure does. You've gotten stronger." Ace reflected back then.

"I'll be better than you someday Ace."

"Over here guys!" Marco shouted over while he and a group were fighting the marines.

"Let's go over there." Luffy cried out.

"Right." Ace smiled. They might be able to make it out alive.

As they made their way, a ship arrived. Whitebeard shouted. "This is my final order. Listen well Whitebeard Pirates." Some of the ones stopped fighting hearing that realizing that Whitebeard was about to sacrifice himself. "You will all part with me here. You will all live and safely return to the New World!" At that very moment, Marineford tilted more.

"Everyone hurry!" some of the Whitebeard crew shouted. They accepted it.

As the group made their way to Whitebeard, Ace bowed before him. Whitebeard looked over. "Let me ask you one thing." He paused. "Was I a good father?"

"Of course!" Whitebeard smiled. Ace nodded and continued running.

Akainu then came over to the scene flowing lava. "Tch pitiful." He called out. "They save Ace and then run away?" Ace had heard that. "What a bunch of cowards. Then again he is the captain, I guess there's no helping it. After all Whitebeard is a loser." Akainu began taunting.

Ace stopped running. Luffy also stopped after that. He asked. "Ace?"

"Take back what you just said." Ace growled at Akainu.

Other captains also stopped. They were trying to encourage Ace to keep running. Even Luffy realized what was going on. "Ace!" He yelled to snap him back to reality.

Ace stood there. Akainu walked over. "Your real father Roger stood in his way. So Whitebeard never became King. You bunch of thugs keep yelling about how great he is. You prance about the sea pretending to be a family." At that very moment, Whitebeard punched Akainu.

"Ace just leave!" Whitebeard ordered. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep fighting. His age and condition was catching up to him.

However, Ace refused. "The old man gave us a place where he belonged. What do you know about his greatness?"

At that moment, Whitebeard started breathing heavily and grabbed his chest. Akainu yelled. "Look at him. This old man will die as a loser. A fitting death for such useless piece of trash."

Ace continued protesting. "Whitebeard is the pirate who created this era." Ace then fired something at Akainu. Akainu erupted magma to cancel out Ace's power.

After the smoke cleared, Ace and Akainu glared at each other.

At that moment, Luffy fell to his knees. The fatigue had caught up to him.

Seeing the opportunity, Akainu rushed to attack Luffy's chest.

Only to be blocked by Ace. Some of the attack went through and would leave a scar on Luffy.

Whitebeard quickly punched Akainu again. "Ace!" He cried out. "Why didn't you?" He had looked back and prepared to give Akainu a beating close to his life. He would try to vibrate every fiber in Akainu's being. That would tear every cell in his body apart.

In the meantime, Ace fell forward to be caught by Luffy. "I'm sorry…. Luffy..."

Luffy felt his blood. "Ace. We've got to get you to a doctor. Chopper's the best..." Luffy sputtered out.

"Sorry. I couldn't let you save me. I'm sorry. Don't bother." Ace quickly reflected upon his life..

"You promised you wouldn't die! Remember!" Luffy cried out.

"I did didn't I?" Ace paused. He started reflecting his life. "I only have one regret. That I couldn't see you achieve your dream." Luffy froze. "I'm sure you'll do it."

"No!"

"Everyone. Old man! Luffy! I'm a worthless man with the blood of a demon flowing through me." At that moment Ace wept. "Thank you for loving me!"

With those last words, Ace smiled before he passed away. [3]

* * *

Scene Change

"Ace!"

Yuuto woke up hearing his captain's yell. They were trying to save Ace. He appeared to be on a ship and walked out. "What happened?"

He saw Jinbei carrying Luffy away from Akainu. Luffy looked unconscious. Whitebeard was fighting Akainu.

He talked to the nearest person he found. "Where's Ace?"

With tears in his eyes, he responded. "He just died." Yuuto gasped. They had failed. He looked over again at Luffy. He seemed so broken.

Before he could run after Luffy and Jinbei, the Marine headquarters had fallen down. The plaza was split into two. In the pandemonium, he noticed more figures appear. "Is that?" He used his Observation Haki. "They feel like Blackbeard and his crew." He paused. There was more of them before. He paused waiting to watch what would unfold. Blackbeard and his crew stopped Whitebeard from assaulting Akainu.

The next battle that happened in the span of five minutes shocked him. [2]

Whitebeard had succesfully killed one of Blackbeard's crew members Doc Q. Whitebeard also seemed to have heavily wounded two others of Blackbeard's crew before he finally died. Burgess clutched his elbow in pain. Auger only had one eye left. Whitebeard had destroyed almost all of Marineford as well before dying to Blackbeard's entire crew.

What was shocking of all was the fact that Blackbeard had also stolen Whitebeard's power.

It was at that moment that Yuuto knew why he always had this feeling of being careful around that group and to always pay attention to him.

He didn't know how, but he was sure in the future, Luffy and their entire crew was going to fight against Blackbeard and his crew for One Piece.

As Jinbei was about to toss Luffy to the ship Yuuto was on, the ship couldn't move. The sea was frozen. Kizaru then cut Jinbei off. Yuuto put on his gloves getting ready to distract Kizaru.

He knew he didn't have much chance against Kizaru but he wasn't going to sit around and do nothing.

The remains of Marineford then suddenly shook. Blackbeard and Sengoku were fighting and Blackbeard wasn't used to the power yet.

Yuuto then looked underground. He seemed to have heard something mechanical underneath. Who would come here at this time?

When he looked around, he saw Luffy, Jinbei, and Buggy suddenly in the air. Kizaru was preoccupied with the other forces. Yuuto quickly skywalked to them. He grimaced when he saw Luffy with no hat.

"Where do we go? Luffy needs to be treated soon" Jinbei asked.

"I don't know." Yuuto admitted. He saw the earlier burn mark on his chest. Did Akainu do this to him?

"Don't just stand there and do nothing. Save me." Buggy cried out.

At that moment, something emerged from the sea. Yuuto remembered the mark. It was the mark of the Heart Pirates with their leader X Drake.

As the door opened, he realized he was wrong. It was actually Trafalgar Law who shouted "We'll get him out of here. I'm a doctor."

Yuuto couldn't be picky about who could help them. "I'll bring him over myself. It's my responsibility to watch over Luffy."

Jinbei stood. "It's also my responsibility to Ace." Yuuto nodded and took them to Law.

As they landed, Yuuto looked back and was surprised to see the Red Hair Pirates. Not thinking much about it, he quickly carried Luffy inside the submarine. Law followed after them carrying Luffy's straw hat. Law hurried out of the Marineford with Kizaru firing after them.

* * *

[1] This is a callback to what Nami said to Garp when they were at Water 7.

"You love your family your family more than being a marine right?"

Later on, he responded. "Duty is more important than family."

On one hand, it would be easy to write Garp help Luffy and be redeemable, but then, the way Oda portrayed here has more meaning.

I disliked seeing Garp doing nothing at Marineford, but at the same time, it does give some character and meaning behind it.

[2]

Think of it as Whitebeard was healthier to start the battle because Yuuto had protected him from Squard's wound. He's in better condition.

He does hurt Akainu that he does get beaten close to death. That will play a small role when he fights with Aokiji.

He injured Blackbeard severely and killed one of his crew members Doc Q. He also shatters a bone in Burgess' elbow so he can't use it as effectively. Auger only has one eye now.

He destroyed all the buildings of Marineford and ruined Marineford. Marines will have to try and reconstruct the land.

[3]

Marineford was an arc that really introduced more of the world. We saw the first Yonkou in action and how strong the New World is.

It really makes it hard how to scale power and tiers if you think about it. What's most important was that it showed how weak Luffy was compared to the real threats. It is what Yuuto has warned Luffy in the beginning.

Ace's death is instrumental for Luffy's development. This is the first real loss in the sense he actually lost for good. He doesn't have a second chance and win like he could against Crocodile and Lucci. There is no do over. What made Ace's death meaningful was the aftermath and Luffy's reaction.

Unfortunately, Ace needed to die to teach Luffy a lesson. If Ace had lived, I don't think Luffy would have trained for two years. He was on a winning streak and probably would have thought the New World was easy to win.

Please leave a review about what you liked in this chapter. I hope you guys look forward to the next chapters. I will cover some parts of the 2 year training time very soon. I am thinking of some ways to help develop some of the characters or make them stronger. Let me know in the reviews if you have any ideas about what they may be. They have been hinted at so feel free to read the previous chapters.


	33. Chapter 33 After Marineford

Disclaimer: I still don't own One Piece. Nor do I own the next chapter of One Piece.

A review I received that I wanted to clarify something was that I PURPOSELY wrote Yuuto thought the leader of the Heart Pirates was X Drake. He then made the correction when he saw Trafalgar Law.

This is in reference to how Yuuto has memories with remembering people right now. It has to do with what the government did to him at Impel Down.

As of right now, Yuuto cannot remember everything about his crew correctly.

For example, he thinks Zoro's the navigator.

You will see how this is fixed in this chapter. It's not fully fixed but you will see how.

After Marineford

* * *

Under the Sea

5 hours later after the war

"Is there any way to solve my memory problem?" Yuuto asked Law. He was waiting for Law's diagnosis.

"You're not that worried about your captain?"

"He'll live." Yuuto took a look at Luffy. He was sure of it. Jinbei was also listening. "I'm worried about what he'll do when he wakes up.." Yuuto then looked at Law. "I'm still having trouble remembering people. I remember what I did."

Law sighed. "I'm not a psychologist but what it looks your brain can still make new memories. I checked your brain. Your entire limbic system, the area in your brain that stores memory, is fine. Your hippocampus, the part that stores your long term memory, seems a little smaller than average. You will still be fine." Yuuto nodded. "There's no way for me to remove the brainwashing unless I know exactly what they did in which part"

Yuuto sighed. "Wait. I have a disk I stole from Impel Down. Maybe it has the information you need."

Law nodded agreeing to look it over. As they looked it over, they realized it contained information about Kaido, Big Mom, Red Hair, Whitebeard, and other famous pirate gangs. It talked about their possible businesses. Law smiled. "It's not what you wanted but this seems classified information about their entire crew."

Yuuto nodded. "I suppose that's why I knew about Whitebeard's major crew members."

Jinbei nodded. "So that's how the marines keep track of all the Yonkou."

"How much for it?" Law asked intrigued.

"I'm sorry. It's not for sale." Yuuto was going to use the information for his crew in the near future.

Law not deterred, continued. "How about an alliance?"

"That's not for me to decide." Yuuto answered. "Anyways, will I get my memory back?"

Law paused. "From what it sounds like, yes. You just need to talk to those people to remind you and I think your memories will correct themselves." Yuuto nodded at that. After spending time with Luffy, he was remembering more and more about Luffy.

He looked at Luffy. He wasn't in the condition to meet with the crew. Nor was the crew ready to fight the New World.

At that moment, Bepo walked in. "Captain Law. We have a message from a marine shop. It's the Shichibukai Boa Hancock."

"What?" Yuuto shouted. "I thought they couldn't track us here." He looked at Trafalgar who promised them their safety. Law wasn't sure and looked ready. Everyone else prepared themselves except Jimbei.

"Wait." Jimbei asked. "She told Ace and me that Luffy was coming. She could be a friend." He had noticed during the war she seemed to protect Luffy.

Bepo added. "Not only that, but she gave us a visual of the ship she's on. She turned all the marines to stone. She wants to see Luffy. She promises not to let the marines know."

Jimbei nodded. "Don't worry. I'm sure with the 3 of us here we can beat her if she's planning something else."

Yuuto nodded but still didn't trust her. He put on his mask.

* * *

When the submarine emerged from water, Hancock jumped off landing on the deck.

"So this is Hancock." Yuuto thought. As he saw her, he remembered something. This was the only female pirate bounty that he thought was attractive from his notebooks. He realized that the picture doesn't compare to how she looks like in real life. He made sure he didn't voice that out loud.

Still, he needed to be careful. She did work for the government. As he analyzed her, he noticed she preferred to attack using her long legs.

Yuuto quickly made eye contact with Hancock. As soon as he did, her eyes turned cold for a brief moment and she instantly took a fighting stance. Seeing the hostility, Yuuto likewise took a fighting stance. "Where is Luffy?" She asked. "Where are you taking him?" There was a hidden threat there.

Yuuto took a breath "He's recovering right now. I won't have you bother him." Yuuto responded. He was ready to protect him.

Hancock quickly stated. "I'll save him from you if I have to." She was prepared to face one of her nightmares.

Before she could even move to strike, Jimbei intervened. "Stop. We are not your enemies. Both of you stop." Yuuto and Hancock put their hands down at that.

As soon as they disengaged, they made eye contact with one another in which Yuuto noticed animosity in them. She then ignored Yuuto and asks. "Will he survive?"

Law continued. "The effectiveness of the operation is tied to his condition. I can't guarantee he'll survive."

Hancock looked worried for a moment. Another ship appeared. "Heee – haw! Of course! That's right Strawhat did his best. We were able to escape prison thanks to him!"

"Ivankov!" Yuuto said. "Thank you for the help you've given us!"

"No. It should be us thanking you!" Ivankov yelled. He then jumped off.

Someone shouted. "We're heading to the place we've dreamed of for so many years. To the true home of newkamas!" Yuuto sweated a little at the silliness.

Ivankov landed. "He was injured at Impel Down. He did so much to try to rescue his brother Ace." Yuuto looked down at that. "The brother that he tried so hard to save died right before his eyes." Yuuto felt guilty about that knowing he didn't really help much. "It wouldn't be surprising if his spirit was broken!"

Salome curled around Hancock to comfort her. "How tragic…. If I could, I'd suffer in his place..." Yuuto looked at Hancock confused. He didn't remember his crew meeting Hacock. Why did Hancock care so much about him? "I feel so bad for you Luffy." Yuuto looked at her curiously.

Hancock felt Yuuto stare at her. She angrily said to Yuuto. "This has nothing to do with you filthy monster." Yuuto gulped realizing he should have made a better first impression earlier. She seemed to hold a grudge on him.

She pointed to Bepo. "You beast! Do you have a Den den mushi!" Bepo nodded. "If we call the Kuja Pirate Ship, we can pull the submarine across the Calm Belt. If the government learns that Luffy is alive, they'll come after him. We'll hide him on the Isle of Women. If I'm still one of the Shichibukai, he can safely recover there." She gives Yuuto a vicious look. "You. I'll deal with you later." She quickly left the ship.

Yuuto put his hands up wondering to himself what he did to Hancock.

* * *

Three Days Later

Amazon Lily Forest

"Where's Ace?" They heard a loud cry echo the forest. Law and his crew left. Yuuto grimaced wondering how he would face Luffy now. He quickly ran over to see how his captain was doing.

When he saw Luffy, he sighed. Around Luffy were crushed trees, his hands were broken. He wasn't sure what to do. It was obvious that Luffy punched whatever he could around him.

Jimbei who followed looked around. He paused. "The war is over…. Ace is…."

"Don't say it!" Luffy interrupted. "I've pinched my cheek enough to tear it apart. If this were a dream, I would have woken up already… I'm not dreaming am I?"

Yuuto sighed. It hurt to see someone he cared like this. He shook his head as if to agree with him.

"Ace is dead. Isn't he?" Luffy bawled out. Yuuto stayed silent. It would be pointless to deny that.

Jimbei acknowledged it. This only caused Luffy to scream even more. He fell on his knees. "Luffy-kun."

"I'm no Pirate King." Yuuto looked surprised hearing that. "I'm still so weak." Yuuto sighed.

All the physical training he received didn't really help him in this situation. He didn't know how to properly help someone emotionally.

"Luffy-kun." Yuuto looked over at Jimbei in thanks for his attempts. Maybe his experience would also help.

"Go away!" Luffy shouted. "Leave me alone!"

"Luffy." Yuuto also tried to say something. He had to.

"You should leave Yuuto." Luffy looked at him. "You don't want a worthless captain." Yuuto was angry and wanted to strike back to maybe knock some sense into him. He came out of retirement for this.

Before he could take a step, Jimbei grabbed him. His eyes told him to calm down. Yuuto breathed, agreeing realizing that wouldn't help. It would only escalate the situation. He assured. "Luffy. You don't really believe that. I know you don't." Unfortunately, those words fell to deaf ears.

"Luffy. Stop before you injure yourself more." Jimbei warned.

"It's my body. I can do what I like!"

Jimbei calmly continued. "In that case, Ace's body belonged to him. It was his choice whether to live or to die."

"Shut up! You say something else and I'm going to punch you."

"If that will help calm you down, but feel free. I may also be wounded, but I won't be defeated by you."

Luffy tried to punch Jimbei. Only for Jimbei to sidestep, grab his arm, and push him down. As Luffy stayed on the ground, Jimbei began reflecting how Ace described Luffy. Yuuto was worried about the situation.

Luffy quickly bit Jimbei's arm which caused Jimbei to get angry. In that moment of anger, Jimbei punched his head again. He breathed again to keep calm. Just as Luffy ran over to Jimbei, Jimbei grabbed him by his throat. Yuuto froze still unsure what to do in this situation.

It felt like Luffy was a stranger to him. He wasn't sure if it was because of his memories or Luffy's loss of Ace.

Fortunately, Jimbei knew what to do. "Are you no longer able to see anything at all?" Luffy continued struggling. "That brimming confidence which led you to believe you could overcome any obstacle." Luffy wanted to choke at that realizing how foolish he was. "Your own great strength which you never doubted for a second." Luffy continued struggling more, unable to break free from Jimbei's hold. It was ironic. "The hordes of enemies who shattered those beliefs apart. You indeed have lost much." Jimbei gave Luffy some sympathy.

Luffy closed his eyes not wanting to hear anymore. Jimbei continued as Yuuto watched on entranced by what Jimbei said. "You are allowing the mighty obstacle known as the world to block your entire sight. At this rate, you will lose sight of everything. You will be swallowed by dark clouds of self-condemnation and regret." Luffy closed his eyes not wanting to hear anymore.

"It may be hard right now Luffy, but you must silence those thoughts." Luffy opened his eyes to silently plead with Jimbei to stop. "Stop counting only those things that you have lost. What is gone is gone!" Luffy stopped struggling as much. "So ask yourself this! What is there that still remains to you!"

Luffy calmed down a bit and shrank down. He put his fingers as if to count. He looked at Yuuto who was still waiting for his captain to acknowledge him. "I still have my nakama!" before he continued to cry.

At that moment, Yuuto came over and sat by Luffy's side. Luffy immediately hugged him. Yuuto looked a little surprised by the sudden emotions he showed but knew this was what Luffy needed. Jimbei smiled. "I see."

"That's right Luffy. You have us." Yuuto pointed out while looking grateful to Jimbei.

"Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Yuuto! Chopper! Robin! Franky! Brook!" Luffy sniffled out. Yuuto smiled at that. "I still have all of you."

Yuuto nodded "That's right. Remember that you just saved me from becoming a Pacifista." Yuuto encouraged. Luffy wiped away some of us his tears. Seeing that Luffy was becoming better, Yuuto continued. "Tell me about the crew Luffy." Yuuto asked. Luffy needed a distraction. "Describe each and every one of us." Maybe Luffy needed this as much as he did.

What just happened made him feel like an outsider.

"There's Zoro, our swordsman." Luffy sobbed less. "He wants to be the strongest swordsman using three swords." Yuuto nodded at that, mentally making a note what to correct in his memories. "Even though he gets lost all the time, he's super strong."

Well, Zoro's not the navigator that Yuuto thought.

"There's Nami, my navigator." Yuuto heard that singular possessive pronoun. Luffy paused for a while which Yuuto noticed. There seemed to be some hesitation in how he was going to describe her. "She's never been wrong in knowing what the weather is. She loves money and her punches really hurt." Yuuto laughed at that now remembering now that he had put Nami train Luffy's observation Haki.

Nami's the navigator then as he tried piecing his memories together.

"Then there's Usopp, our sniper and liar." Yuuto nodded as if he remembered correctly. "He's a coward but he is pretty tricky." It seemed that Yuuto had mixed some parts of Usopp with Luffy before. "He tells the best stories about his brave adventures." Yuuto smiled realizing that Luffy was the gullible.

"The next to join the crew was Sanji, our cook." Yuuto again noticed Sanji had the plural possessive pronoun compared to the singular pronoun used before. "He's a pervert and loves the ladies but he makes the best meat ever." Yuuto laughed at that. He guesses that it must have been someone else who shouted he was a pervert or asked for panties. Actually, no one would ask for panties; that must have been a ridiculous quirk.

Luffy then moved his hair around and pretended to smoke. "Hey." He pointed at Yuuto. "Did you steal the meat?" Yuuto laughed realizing he was imitating Sanji.

"Then there's you." Yuuto nodded at that. "Our bodyguard. You are always the serious one making sure we train or read the newspaper. You make sure no one knows who you are." Yuuto chuckled a bit. He didn't want to rub it in, but he hoped Luffy learned first hand why. "You have a cool black fox mask." Yuuto laughed and wore the mask to humor him. "Yeah like that. Now that I think about it, you're a bad bodyguard."

Yuuto laughed at that a little."You're right. I am a bad bodyguard. You always seem to get hurt." Yuuto smiled realizing Luffy was feeling a lot better if he started joking around.

"But then that's why we have Chopper, our reindeer doctor who can transform 7 different ways." Yuuto breathed a sigh of relief he had remembered Chopper as the cyborg. "He's pretty fun to play with."

"That's right. He's always been watching over us. He does a good job checking up on us" Yuuto continued.

Luffy nodded. "Especially Zoro." He laughed. "Zoro would always take off his bandages." Yuuto smiled at that.

"After Chopper, we have Robin, our archaeologist." Yuuto nodded. "She was our enemy at first but she turned out to be not so bad after all." Yuuto nodded realizing that she was the one who joined after Alabasta not Franky. "She's really smart and has cool Hana Hana powers."

Luffy paused. "Do you remember the time we rescued her?" Yuuto shook his head slightly. "What? Don't tell me you forgot about Sogeking, the king of snipers?"

"Sogeking?" Yuuto asked. He didn't remember who that was.

"Remember Usopp's friend who has a bounty with us." Luffy asked me. "He fired at the flag to burn it down."

Wasn't that Usopp? Yuuto thought. Then again, he was the one with the wrong memories. He nodded to go along with it.

"Anyways, it was weird that he disappeared."

"Yeah it was weird." Yuuto repeated, He was still happy that Luffy was talking to him about the crew. It helped him remember more about the crew. He didn't remember everything but this conversation was helping both of them in ways Luffy didn't know

"Well." Luffy continued. "After all of that, we got Franky, our cyborg shipwright, and the Thousand Sunny." Yuuto smiled. "Franky's so cool. He's a robot" Luffy said with stars in his eyes. "He could fix our ship well." Yuuto nodded. It was good that they had a handy shipwright. Yuuto remembered how bad he was with wood work. "He's loud and cries a lot. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And last but not least. One of the most important members. Our skeleton musician." Yuuto was about to ask what's so important about a musician but stopped. This was Luffy. "Brook!" Yuuto nodded. "He's Laboon's friend." He laughed at a memory. "He asks for the girls their panties every day only to be beaten down."

Yuuto sweat dropped realizing that trait he thought that was with Sanji earlier was actually with Brook. However, Yuuto also instinctively said, "He also makes lots of skull jokes." He was surprised at himself. Was he remembering more?

Luffy laughed. "That's right. They're kind of funny." Yuuto breathed some relief that he was correct.

Jimbei, interested in their crew, finally spoke out wistfully. "Sounds like a dependable crew." [1]

"Yeah. I can't wait to see them again." Luffy declared. Yuuto and Jimbe nodded, eager to meet them. At that, the three of them began to move.

* * *

The three of them walked to the edge of the coast to plan their next move. They were surprised to see Rayleigh.

"Old man Rayleigh!" Luffy cried. "I was about to head back to Shaboady Archipelago!" Yuuto gave a look.

"Oh Luffy. Oh Yuuto you're actually here." Rayleigh noticed. He then gave a smile. "That's actually great news."

"Yeah. I'm here." Yuuto muttered unsure what he meant.

"Kuma told us that you were going to suffer a fate worse than death." Yuuto narrowed his eyes at that. Was that just referring to becoming a Pacifista? "But now that you're here, it might be good for you to be here as well."

Soon enough a cry came out.

"Rayleigh? Is that..." Elder Gloriosa asked.

"Is that you Rayleigh?" Sandersonia greeted.

"Ray-san!" Marigold cried out excited.

"Ah. It's good to see you girls."

"Luffy!" Hancock cried excitedly, ignoring Rayleigh.

"Sister. Is that how you act in front of the man who helped us come back here?" Marigold chastised her sister a little. Both sisters looked at Yuuto and the mask he still wore. Sandersonia stared at him longer. Salome hissed at him.

Yuuto looked confused at the treatment he received. The snake wasn't that antagonistic before.

"Luffy. You opened your eyes. I was so worried." She then turned away from Luffy. "You must be very hungry. I brought food for you. Please eat."

At that moment, Jimbei's and Yuuto's stomach growled. "Jimbei and Chaser!" She said distastefully. Yuuto flinched. "I did not prepare this food for you. No more than a mouthful." She pointed at their general direction more specifically toward Jimbei. Yuuto nodded. He was about to grab some before Hancock slapped his arm. "You don't get anything."

"Why not?" Yuuto asked out loud. Rayleigh and Luffy looked confused.

"We hate your kind here." Hancock asked while his other sisters looked as if they silently agreed with her.

Yuuto nodded unsure what was going on. "What do you mean?"

"A White Fox Chaser did something unforgivable to us." Hancock said in a manner to protect the secret she was keeping. [2]

Yuuto paused. What was worst about it was when Yuuto looked at those three closely, he realized they looked faintly familiar. He paused before revealing something hesitantly. "I was the White Fox before."

He was suddenly kicked by Hancock who glared in anger. Marigold and Sandersonia also approached him also ready to fight. Luffy stopped eating. Rayleigh looked over and stood up. Jimbei paused unsure.

"You have some nerve to come here again." Hancock started. "Are you here for us again?" Yuuto wasn't sure what he did to them. His memory wasn't the best right now.

Rayleigh spoke out to try and diffuse the situation. "Girls. Please. He's-"

"Rayleigh!" Hancock yelled. "You should know. We were kidnapped by a White Fox Chaser 17 years ago!" Marigold nodded while Sandersonia looked like she was about to cry. Yuuto looked in shock. "Jimbei" Hancock looked as if to reveal a grave secret. "You sailed under Fisher Tiger's ship right." He nodded. "What is your opinion about the Celestial Dragons?"

"I hate them." Jimbei quickly declared. "No one should be a slave under them. They're the ones that caused humans to look down on Fish Men. We should live in peace."

Hancock then sighed. "Then I will let you in a secret that you must take to your grave." He nodded. "We were slaves that Fisher Tiger freed back then." Jimbei and Yuuto looked in shock. She turned to Yuuto. "Now you understand?" He nodded understanding the animosity. This was Yuuto's chance to redeem himself.

Luffy gasped in shock. "Yuuto. Did you?" Yuuto bowed his head down ashamed of his actions. Luffy looked unsure of what to do. Yuuto nodded. It was possible. That's why they looked familiar. Jimbei looked stayed quiet. It was not his place to say anything.

"I'm sorry for destroying your lives." Yuuto started truthfully. "I'm regretful of my actions and caused you to live through hell. I only ask for your forgiveness. I understand that's not enough. I am willing to accept any punishment you see fit even death."

Hancock smiled cruelly. "In that case, I say we kill him." Marigold nodded while Sandersonia looked a little hesitant at that. Yuuto nodded accepting that.

Before Luffy could defend Yuuto, Rayleigh intervened. "But girls." Rayleigh started. "This man is around your age." At that moment, Yuuto widened his eyes realizing the truth. 17 years ago, he was 9. He didn't even become a Chaser until he was 16.

"What?" The Boa sisters shouted.

"Yuuto, take off your mask." Rayleigh commanded him. Yuuto took off his mask showing his young face. The three sisters gasped. Salome looked confused.

"It's not him." Marigold said. "I never forgot the one who kidnapped us. He was already a grown man who looked like he was in his mid 30's." Sandersonia nodded accepting this. She looked more closely at Yuuto.

"It has to be him." Hancock refused to accept this. "He's younger than he looks. That's all."

Sandersonia sighed. "It's not him. Hancock." She gave him a look before crying. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief. "He looks like the boy who sneaked us food at night when we were there."

The other two sisters stared at her with the revelation. Marigold asked in shock. "You actually saw the one who gave us food and water at night." Sandersonia nodded. Yuuto heard that and faintly remembered doing that.

"It was a boy?" Hancock asked. "How come you never told us?"

"He wanted to keep it a secret when I caught him. I woke up from the night and saw him." Sandersonia gave a look at him. "You're him aren't you."

When Yuuto heard that, it relieved him that he wasn't the source of their pain. This new information jogged some of his memory. "Yes. I think I always gave you apples." He said the last part unsure.

The three sisters gasped and nodded to confirm. Hancock recovered first and asked. "Why?" with a hint of disappointment.

Yuuto shook his head. "Why what? I helped you because it was the right thing to do." He paused remembering how conflicted he felt while carrying out the orders. "Why I became a Chaser. I didn't have a choice. It was what my family business was. That's probably why I didn't want you to know who I was. I knew I couldn't escape becoming a Chaser." The three looked at him. "Chasers and their families pledge their entire life to serve the World Nobles. I was able to quit because my previous injury was severe enough to make me retire."

Luffy tapped Yuuto on the shoulder. "I knew you didn't kidnap them!" He shouted in relief.

That didn't make Yuuto feel better. "That doesn't matter. I still kidnapped others to suffer the same thing that they went through." Luffy became silent hearing that. Yuuto turned to the three sisters. Hancock maintained her glare. Marigold and Sandersonia weren't sure how to feel. "I'm still sorry for the trouble. Even if I did not kidnap you, you can still take your revenge on me." He bowed and started to cry. "Feel free to do what you see fit if it makes you feel better. I take full responsibility of what happened."

He made that offer because it would be the closest thing to redemption for him.

Hancock quickly responded. "I still say we should kill you." She quickly grabbed Marigold's guando ready to strike him.

"Sister!" Sandersonia shouted in shock about the cruelty that she was about to show. Marigold made a motion to stop her. Yuuto closed his eyes waiting for Hancock to kill him.

It never came. He opened his eyes to see Luffy before the guando. Hancock had stopped in time. "Hancock!" Luffy shouted. "Don't." He looked in tears forming his eyes.

Hancock faltered realizing the man she loved was in tears. "Luffy." She didn't want to be the reason for his tears.

He sniffed. "He's my nakama. I need him to be Pirate King."

Hancock softened. She was about to counter when she realized the situation. Luffy had just lost his brother. He couldn't afford to lose someone so dear to him again in such a short time. She lowered the weapon. "Luffy. I'm sorry." She said sincerely to him.

Yuuto looked guiltily toward the two as Luffy thanked Hancock. When Yuuto made eye contact with Hancock, she had a glare toward him that Luffy didn't notice.

He gulped. This wasn't over.

For one of the few times, he had tears in his eyes understanding why Hancock hated him. This is what he always thought would happen if he ever met someone he actually kidnapped. "Luffy," Luffy turned. "You don't have to protect me. I deserve what she was about to do." Before Luffy could protest while Hancock smiled. "It's something that needs to be done for me to be forgiven of my past offenses. If there's one thing I have to say," he paused. Even though some of his memories were unclear, he was sure of one thing. "I'm proud to have been a Straw Hat and with you as my captain."

Luffy punched Yuuto in the face immediately. Hancock gasped feeling a little joy seeing her love beat her previous tormentors. The others stood watching unsure what to say. "Don't be stupid!" Luffy started crying again. "Death doesn't count as an apology!"

Those words echoed in Yuuto's being. It stirred a memory.

A wise skeleton had said that.

"So live!" Rayleigh spoke up. Yuuto turned to him as if that phrase had stirred another memory about a crew member's past. He wasn't sure who. "If you had died earlier, you wouldn't have been able to save those slaves back at Sabaody." Yuuto paused unsure. The sisters looked surprise hearing that. A Chaser who freed slaves was an oxymoron.

"My entire life I've done so many wicked things." Yuuto countered seeing he had little hope left for him.

"You haven't always done terrible things. Your life isn't a crime." Luffy shouted. Yuuto heard and remembered a private conversation he had with a cyborg. "Do you remember our adventures?" Yuuto shook his head truthfully.

"We helped save Vivi and her country." Yuuto paused. He remembered a blue haired princess he once helped protect from Crocodile.

"Sky Island and the gold we got for the entire crew." Yuuto remembered the adventure they had and the gold received. Luffy, Nami, Chopper, and Sanji were with him when they stole the gold.

"Iceburg, Robin, and Franky"

Yuuto couldn't remember who Iceburg was. However, he remembered Robin and Franky both of them became valuable friends. All of the Strawhats standing on the roof to win her back from the government. Applauding Usopp's sniping ability on the Tower of Justice. Franky revealing the Thousand Sunny.

"and Brook."

Yuuto smiled at the memory that appeared where all the Strawhats worked together to take down a giant zombie.

"We wouldn't have been able to do those without you." Yuuto looked at him not believing that. "With you there, the adventures we had became a lot easier." Yuuto couldn't deny that. Yuuto nodded before looking at Hancock seeing her still present harsh scowl. He sighed wondering if there was another way to seek forgiveness from her. "Let's go meet with our crew now" Luffy shouted. Yuuto nodded weakly to get away from here. He would try to think of something later.

"Wait!" Rayleigh shouted. "Are you absolutely certain about that?" Luffy and Yuuto paused. "I am sure you all remember what happened to you all on that island." Luffy and Yuuto paused realizing they were still weak. Seeing that, Rayleigh continued. "Do you want to meet up with them only to have that happen again?" They both shook their heads no.

They looked at Rayleigh what he was about to suggest. "What do you think about spending some time training and getting stronger?"

Yuuto approved of the idea immediately but voiced something. "How do we let our crew know?"

"I have a plan." Rayleigh said.

* * *

Three days later

"This island is exactly what we need." Rayleigh started. "It'll change season every week which makes it perfect for me to train you Luffy."

They had just come back from Marineford. It was being reconstructed. Yuuto didn't go with them because he told them that he would be a liability if the marines found him and tried to brainwash him again. Luffy had sent his message.

"What about Yuuto?" Luffy asked noticing Yuuto's name wasn't mentioned with them. Jimbei had left. He promised them they would meet again in two years at Fish-man Island.

Yuuto sighed as if they had explained this a thousand times. In reality, he wasn't looking forward to this. "I'm going to be training separately at Amazon Lily." He said. He looked at Boa Hancock tentatively while who gave him a fierce scowl. "Well I'll be a 'slave.' so who knows how much training I'll get." Salome hissed at that to sound like he wasn't going to receive any training at all.

Although men were not allowed on the island, pets, servants, and slaves were. That was the technicality for him to be there. He was going to be on the island as a slave. Yuuto was not looking forward to this treatment but thought it was fair. He brought other people to slavery before. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suggested it.

It was also worth humiliating himself for the sake of Luffy's dream.

Rayleigh had also told him privately that maybe during the two years she would forgive him and he could move on. Yuuto scoffed at the idea. It seemed more likely that Zoro was going to find One Piece by himself than her forgiving him.

Yuuto smirked knowing that he remembered some of his crews' quirks. The more time he spent with Luffy, the more he remembered about him.

He was unsure what Rayleigh said to Hancock and the elder to convince her. Every time he looked over and they made eye contact, he was sure that Hancock was going to secretly try and kill him.

He knew that most men would kill to live on this island (probably Sanji and Brook) but seeing her angry and her hatred toward him was not worth this.

He glanced again at her a little pitifully. She definitely would have looked a lot prettier in real life if she didn't look so angry all the time.

He shook his head because of two things.

One, the time of being a World Noble's slave caused this hatred. Some wounds run too deep.

Maybe if she got to know him, she would forgive him. If she could forgive him, then maybe someone he actually kidnapped would forgive him.

That's assuming they were still alive.

Two, he remembered her ability caused people turn to stone because of lust. If he wasn't careful in the way he thought, he was sure he would end up dead. She was just physically attractive.

"Don't be like that." Luffy stated. "You two will get along just fine. Shishishi." Luffy smiled obliviously at both of them. Yuuto could only sweat drop seeing Hancock's intense glare at him and hearing Salome's hiss, which he felt was unfortunately deserved. He sighed. At least, this would help him move one step closer to his dream.

She then pouted. "How come I can't train Luffy? Why do I have to train," she paused before relenting and pointing at Yuuto. "Him." Yuuto couldn't say anything. At least, she didn't call him any names this time.

Rayleigh sighed. "I already explained a couple times. I have to teach Luffy how to consistently use all three Hakis. You would be distracted." Hancock shook her head no while Yuuto faked a cough. The longer he saw Hacock interact with Luffy the more obvious it became that Hancock was in love with Luffy.

Why did Yuuto feel that someone in the crew was in love with Luffy?

Sensing the glare, Yuuto pretended to ignore her.

Rayleigh noticing the two's exchange sighed. "At least with Yuuto-kun, you and your people can help him use Armament Haki. That's your people's specialty."

"That's assuming they actually train me." Yuuto said that quietly. There was a hidden tone of frustration from the way he's been treated by Hancock. He tried to justify it.

Hancock looked offended at the silent accusation. "I will keep my word. After all, a weakling like you has to help protect Luffy." Yuuto didn't deny that; she was a lot stronger than him. "Be happy that we found a loophole for you to stay on the island." Yuuto was about to deny that but thought against it. He was trying to get her to forgive him.

Rayleigh sighed. "Hancock. Give some credit to him and his idea." He really hoped the two would get along. Hancock shook her head. He sighed. He didn't really want to watch two adults fighting like children. "Anyways, while Luffy's training, you are not allowed to enter or visit."

At that time, both Hancock and Yuuto disagreed with that. Hancock was more vocal and voiced. "What do you mean?"

Rayleigh continued explaining. "You two would distract Luffy."

Yuuto sighed seeing. "Can we at least see him once every two weeks?" He was silently pleading with Rayleigh not to be alone with Hancock. He needed witnesses in case he 'disappeared'.

Luffy nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good. We can see how strong each of us got."

At that moment, Rayleigh, seeing their determined looks, gave in exasperated. "Fine. But once a month." Yuuto had smiled at least he had gotten a visit. "One hour each visit." Rayleigh supposed it would be good to check on Yuuto and Hancock.

They all agreed with that, and Yuuto and Hancock soon left the island and got on the ship where Sandersonia, Marigold, and Elder Nyon were waiting.

When they were sailing far away, Hancock handed Yuuto something. She ordered him. "Wear it. Your training begins now." Salome looked on eagerly. Elder Nyon slapped her forehead. She was promised by both Yuuto and Rayleigh that they would keep the Amazon Lily and its secrets to their grave. Now she was having second thoughts.

Yuuto looked incredulously. "I don't see how me wearing -"

"Just wear it. Remember slave." Hancock voiced arrogantly. Yuuto gulped and knew he couldn't argue. Hancock's two sisters looked at each other silently agreeing with his question. He quickly changed inside. As soon as he got out, the Boa sisters saw him and laughed. Yuuto looked embarrassed wearing a shirt with frills and flowers on it and a skirt. Yuuto tried his best not to glare at Hancock and kept reminding himself that this was his chance for forgiveness.

"Now what." Yuuto tried to keep any hint of resentment out of his voice. He had to remind himself of his dream for forgiveness.

Elder Nyon sighed. "I can't believe I let Rayleigh talk me into letting a man stay on the island." She looked a little furious. This was a bad idea. She could tell.

"If only it were Luffy but instead we have that disgusting man." Yuuto tried to remain calm at the insult. "Now clean the ship." Hancock ordered. "Here's the brush." The other two Boa sisters looked at each other and shrugged thinking that it was slightly reasonable.

Yuuto grabbed the brush and started cleaning the ship. This was going to be a long two years. At least after these two years, he'll meet his crew and remember them.

As he scrubbed, he told himself that he only had to wait 729 more days.

* * *

[1]

I had a hard time thinking about what I should write to comfort Luffy after losing Ace.

I definitely needed to write Jimbei's moment after the battle. He was in my opinion MVP, It wouldn't be fair to have those words be said by Yuuto. If you notice, if a character has an awesome moment, I try to keep the same character having that same awesome moment.

What was really hard was how do I make Yuuto comfort Luffy. That wasn't why I had the memory loss but I was glad I was able to connect that in.

I also felt that if Luffy talked to someone about the crew he would be happy.

[2]

Read back Chapter 30. I wrote that Hancock was kidnapped by a White Fox Chaser.

I also mentioned in previous chapters that Yuuto used to be ranked White.

The next couple chapters are going to show what the Strawhats did during the two years. Some characters will develop their character and you will see some of the extra changes I have planned for them.

I will also time jump around. I'm not going to write all 730 days. It will be like day 1 to day 7 to day 13 to day 27 to day 31 to day 45. I think I might write 6 chapters about the 2 year time training sequence.

Feel free to pm me suggestions about what they may do during the two year time skip. I have a couple planned.

A lot of the focus will be on Yuuto and Hancock.

If you remember, one of his dreams was to be able to find forgiveness for what he did for the World Nobles and the Underworld, from a slave.

Will Yuuto find forgiveness and be the first Strawhat to actually accomplish his dream?

You'll find out. So look forward to that.


	34. Chapter 34 2 Year Training Part 1

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece. Never will.

I do own this story.

Two Year Training Part 1

* * *

Day 3

"You're pushing yourself really hard." Perona pointed out as she watched Zoro doing pushups.

Zoro had been training on his strength and endurance the last couple days. He was forbidden to use a sword until his wounds were fully healed. Zoro used the time to work on his conditioning in the mean time. "I have to." He growled out. He grimaced remembering what had just happened.

It was all his fault. What happened to the Strawhats' defeat at Sabaody was because of him.

His entire crew had gotten separated because of his weakness. If only he wasn't such an easy target back then, his entire crew wouldn't have tried to defend him.

He cursed his weakness back then. He hated seeing Yuuto, Chopper, and Swirley Cook defend him. Hell even Robin helped protect him.

He growled. On one hand, he was touched about that he had good friends willing to protect him. It showed how much they valued him. On the other hand, it was a matter of his pride as one of the stronger ones he should be the one protecting the other ones in the crew. Not the other way around. And especially not by Robin.

That wasn't to say he thought she was weak. It wasn't because she was a woman.

Kuina would beat him up because of that.

It was simply that he was one of the stronger ones in the crew that ended up being protected.

That irked him to no end.

Everyone has something they're good at; that's why they had certain jobs in the crew. He knew the women in his crew (Nami and Robin) were strong in their way. They could both beat him up in ways not that he would admit it. They were both stronger emotionally and mentally compared to the rest of the crew. They were just not necessarily physically tougher.

His role in the crew was to fight and protect the weaker ones.

It pained him to put the entire crew just because of his state back then. It was also unforgivable to put the women in danger because of him.

As if it couldn't get worse, soon after when the crew separated, Luffy lost his brother in front of his eyes.

As Zoro finished his next pushup, Perona asked. "You don't want to risk reinjuring your wounds so soon." Zoro stopped, giving her a look. "Not that I care." She pouted.

Zoro sweat dropped; she wasn't fooling anyone. He had more important things to worry about. He was happy about the hidden message he received from Luffy. It comforted him to know that Luffy moved on and realized the situation they were putting themselves in. That's why he ordered them to meet in two years.

He focused again. When they met again, he wasn't going to lose again so easily to let his crew down. [1]

* * *

Day 13

It was night time. An elderly man walked up and approached a young teenage girl studying about thunder patterns in the New World.

"Nami!" Haredas, the elderly man, called out. She didn't hear him, focused about the effects of thunderstorms. "Nami!" She still didn't hear him. He sighed, took out a rope, and untied one of the knots. A strong wind blew.

The wind blew her so she was sitting on the floor with the book far away. She looked at him a little annoyed. "What?" She asked.

Haredas sighed. "Sorry for interrupting your studies, but it's 1 AM. You should get some sleep." His only reply was a glare. Undeterred, he continued. "You care a lot about this captain of yours." Her stare became a little softer and her heart sped up a little.

She looked away. "No. I don't."

Haredas looked in disbelief. "That's why you've been practicing using that Clima -Tact of yours during the day" He quizzed her about what she had learned while she practiced her bojutsu techniques. Nami remembered the intense situations she would have to face.

"It's why you had me manipulate the Weather ball to different situations while you were practicing using your Clima-tact" Nami used the opportunity to adapt to the weather conditions and practice how her Clima-tact would change under those conditions. Could she still produce thunder when it was snowing? Would severe weather conditions affect her Clima-tact?

"And when you're taking a break, you're reading up on our weather notes." Nami shrugged. It was a good way to be prepared as the navigator. She needed to push herself to her limit.

It seemed that everyone on the crew was pushing herself.

"Why are you working yourself so hard? A girl like you isn't the type to do this." Haredas said as a fact. "You're not the strong type."

Nami huffed a little annoyed at that. She wasn't offended by that statement because she was the cute type. However, Haredas neglected to mention that.

Still, she needed to be stronger. She knew she was physically the weakest one out of the crew. As she remembered the newspaper, Luffy had lost Ace. If someone like Ace died, what hope did she have to survive. She needed to be stronger herself otherwise Luffy and the others would have to fight to protect her.

She didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to become a burden.

Maybe that would also get Luffy to notice her if she beat someone.

Haredas sighed. "You know I read in the newspaper that a famous bojutsu user who's on the next island we're about to be blown over." Nami looked up. Yuuto had advised her to learn some techniques. Maybe a famous bojutsu warrior could help.

"What's his name?" Nami was curious.

"Kilik." [2]

* * *

Day 14

"Sister." Sandersonia asked. "Don't you think you're being harsh on Yuuto?" Marigold also gave a look toward Hancock.

"Who?" Hancock pretended she didn't know. After giving she thought, she admitted. "You mean that slave. No."

Salome, who was nearby, silently agreed with Hancock's sisters. She had seen how Yuuto acted and was nothing like how Hancock personally described him. Marigold started. "You started out by telling the villagers that he had a contagious disease called leprosy. We are the only ones immune to it."

"That's just to make sure he doesn't learn any of our secrets and they don't talk to him." Hancock reasoned.

Sandersonia continued. "You said that it was possible to get the disease just by being within 20 feet of him."

"So?" Hancock didn't see the point. The two sisters thought that it was cruel to be completely isolated by others because of a lie. They had made a similar extreme lie about what lied on their backs but it was slightly different. Hancock was lying to force Yuuto to live in isolation. They were lying so that they would not be revealed as slaves.

"When are you going to start training him?" Marigold brought up the major issue. Hancock had not fulfilled her promise.

"After he finishes the 10,000th arrows that he's supposed to make each day. If he can't make 10,000 arrows in one day, there's no way he could learn armament Haki."

Sandersonia started counting with her fingers. "First, making arrows has nothing to do with Haki."

"Yes it does. He's going to imbue the arrows he makes with his Haki." Hancock countered.

Marigold looked disapprovingly. "The village has people making 200,000 arrows a day. He could use those." Hancock pretended that she didn't hear that.

Sandersonia continued. "Second, you purposely broke a hundred of his arrows because of reasons like the color of the feather used was black instead of red."

"You should know that red is my favorite color. It's Luffy's favorite color." Hancock sighed happily thinking of him. "You know some of those arrows weren't cut properly. Even the slightest splinter would have affected how the arrow was going to fly." She provided her reasoning.

"Third," Marigold, seeing that reason was a lost cause, continued. "you changed the requirement from 5,000 to 10,000. He skipped breakfast and dinner to make the 5,000th arrow."

"He's also sleeping later and rising up before us." Sandersonia added. Marigold nodded. Marigold liked to sleep at around midnight while Sandersonia enjoyed getting up at 6 AM. They both walked by his room and could tell that he was up, frustrated, making arrows.

"He almost became a Pacifista. They don't need sleep." Hancock defended herself.

"Didn't you tell us they're something known as robots and robots don't need sleep? Isn't he a man?" Marigold added.

Hancock grimaced. "He's not even human remember. How could you describe a Chaser as a human?" Salome shook her head.

Sandersonia shook. "He's not a Chaser anymore. He's a man, a regular human being." Marigold nodded at that. They had both forgiven him. "Don't you remember that we always had food every morning back when..." A silent pause. She didn't want to think of those memories. "It was because of him that we weren't so hungry in the morning."

"That has nothing to do with the training I'm giving." Hancock didn't see the point.

Uncharacteristically frustrated, Sandersonia shouted. "You're not even training him. You even forbid us to train him!" Hancock looked surprised at her outburst.

Annoyed, Hancock yelled back. "It's for your own protection."

"From what!" Sandersonia was angry. "Ever since he came on this island, he let you do whatever you want with him. He's been an obedient slave to you and you never had to use your powers. He never defended himself from you. He's been beating himself since he's been here. He never complained. What's worse is that he doesn't bother defending himself? You treat him like how the Celestial Dragons -"

A loud slap was heard. Marigold and Salome looked in shock.

Hancock threatened her. "Don't compare me with them." She hated the Celestial Dragons the most.

With tears in her eyes, Sandersonia cried out. "I just want to see my older sister back. She was a cheerful person. I finally got to see her when you met Luffy. But ever since we met Yuuto, you became the same person you were before." She ran away.

Marigold looked between the two sisters before stopping at Hancock. "What are you looking at me for!" Hancock yelled at her. Marigold looked disappointed at Hancock before she ran away to follow after her sister. Salome went to curl around Hancock to calm her down. Hancock turned around and saw an eavesdropper.

"You know you're supposed to be making 10,000 arrows right now. Guess we won't start Armament Haki training today again." She then taunted him. "I wonder what Luffy's going to say when you still can't use armament Haki." Maybe Luffy would make Yuuto quit the crew in disappointment.

With blood on his hands, Yuuto dropped an arrow. Hancock and Salome looked surprised at the implication. Yuuto took a deep breath before picking up the arrow and placing it in the cart he had behind him. He pulled the cart to her. "Here." He said exasperated. He had heard the conversation starting from when Sandersonia started counting. "10,000 arrows."

Hancock was impressed. No one even made 6,000 arrows in one day. However, she found a flaw in. "Wait. There's blood on this one arrow. In fact, there's blood on all of these arrows." Silence rang through the air. Yuuto began walking away. "Where are you going? Come back! You're not done." Hancock yelled. Even Salome knew she was being unreasonable.

Yuuto tried to breathe calmly. He tried to answer calmly. "You were never going to train me weren't you?"

Hancock denied that. "I was going to. How dare you question the most beautiful woman in the world?"

At that response, he lost it. He had heard her go on about herself long enough and was angry about how she treated even her closest companions. He was touched that they forgave him when they didn't know he was listening.

He could tolerate being treated like dirt but seeing two people defend him pissed him off. "Really. I just see a regular woman." He yelled, shocking her. This was the first time he's yelled at her.

He really tried to to keep himself calm. He had to constantly remind himself that maybe if she got to know him she would see that he wasn't the cold-hearted Chaser that she thought he was. That's why he put up with the ridiculous demands because he understood what the slaves had to face under the World Nobles.

It only turned out to be futile. Hancock wasn't planning on forgiving him no matter what she denied. Yuuto would have thought that was reasonable and expected it. However, he was hoping to see if she would actually give him a chance. Yuuto breathed to try and calm down. Remembering the earlier argument he heard, he gazed at her.

That was when he silently agreed with the green haired sister calling comparing her to a World Noble. She didn't act like a slave at all.

Seeing her still pissed him off. "An ugly woman who's thinks she's so amazing. She's so full of herself." He mocked. "But in reality, she's full of hatred and arrogance. She's hideous."

When he would look back on this, he would admit that he was lying a little bit. She was physically beautiful, but he was telling the truth about her personality at the time.

As if to test that, Hancock formed a heart toward him. "You lie. Everyone knows that I am beautiful. You secretly think so too. Mero Mero." As the beam passed through him, he didn't turn to stone. She fell a little bit. "This can't be. There can't be another man who can stand the power of my Mero Mero" She yelled in shock.

Yuuto responded and thanked whatever it was that protected him. He was so angry that he couldn't think straight. Beautiful yes but her personality made him feel so much fury. "Yes. There is. Face it. You're not beautiful." He slightly lied again. However, seeing her fall gave him a sense of satisfaction.

"Yes. I am. Everyone tells me that." She said disbelievingly as if to convince herself.

Yuuto looked at her. "No." The past couple days had frustrated him. This was the only opportunity he took to lash out. "You're not beautiful. Luffy doesn't think you're beautiful." Seeing Hancock's helpless expression confirmed his suspicions. "How could he even love you?" Hancock gasped as if no one knew about her feelings. "Someone who doesn't care about her family."

Outraged at that and felt he had gone too far, Hancock slapped him. "Get out. I order you to get out of this country. Train somewhere else" Salome also hissed at him and was about to bite him for saying something like that.

"Fine. I don't want your forgiveness anyway." It was pointless. She didn't seem like someone who lived under the Celestial Dragons. Plus, the other two sisters had forgiven him already.

Why did he not feel that was not enough?

At that very moment, Elder Nyon had come in with Sandersonia running behind her. Marigold appeared as if she had heard the whole thing.

"What are you two doing?"

"I was about to leave this country." Yuuto said emotionlessly. Hancock didn't say anything, refusing to let her tears fall.

Elder Nyon sighed. "No. You're not." She remembered Rayleigh's wisdom he shared privately. "I will train you how to use Armament Haki instead."

"But Elder Nyon." Hancock addressed her. She wanted him to get away from her.

"No buts. Yuuto." She addressed him. "I promise that we will start tomorrow. It's hard to train Armament Haki when you're angry."

Yuuto said. "I'm not angry." Everyone looked at him in disbelief. "Ok fine. I am." He took a look back at Hancock as if she was the cause of his mood. She glared right back at him.

Nyon sighed as if a mother watching over two children fight. "Yuuto calm down. Pack your things. You'll live outside the castle for the time being."

He nodded. Maybe he could catch up on some sleep. As he walked away, he heard a whisper from Sandersonia.

"He shouldn't have made an outburst like that to our sister." He didn't look back at who said that. As he left, he heard some sniffles behind himself.

* * *

Day 17

Yuuto was firing arrows at a rock. According to what he was told, when the arrows pierced through this particular rock, he unlocked Armament Haki.

This was his third day, trying to unlock Armament Haki by shooting with a bow and arrow. Gloriosa had told him that maybe he would be better infusing weapons with Armament Haki. This was important because there were going to be opponents that he knew he shouldn't touch directly.

Like magma or poison for example.

He breathed again.

The day after their argument, both Marigold and Sandersonia had come to see him asking him to apologize to Hancock. It seemed that Hancock had taken it very hard.

There was a moment of guilt that Yuuto felt but shook his head. He could remember her annoying stare. The insults thrown his way.

The following days after that, one of the two would come and ask. Yuuto would be stubborn. He could be friendly with the other sisters. But when it came to Hancock, he would actually start becoming grumpy. She seemed to ruin his mood just by him thinking about her.

Hell even the way he imagined she closing her eyes annoyed him.

Just as he was preparing to fire, he sensed a familiar presence. Sensing who it was, he fired and completely missed his target by 5 yards. Even the first time he tried firing a bow, he didn't miss that badly.

He took a look behind him and saw Hancock and Salome about ten feet away from him. He was taken aback because he thought Hancock looked nicer. That soon changed when he noticed she tried to cover her mouth preventing him from seeing her smile at his mistake.

She just wanted to ridicule him like she always did.

He shook his head not wanting to be caught off again. It was probably the fact that he hadn't seen her for a while that he subconsciously gave himself hope that she would change. She was probably getting ready to insult him again. "What do you want?" He questioned rudely.

Hearing that, Hancock looked angry and was about to say something before she remembered something. Salome also patted her back as she did. Hancock breathed in. "I came to apologize about how I treated you since I met you." She then bowed before him like a servant before a master.

Yuuto was surprised at that. It took a moment for him to register what was going on. She was lowering herself down to his level. Was he dreaming? She practically thought she was God's gift to humanity.

He blinked to make sure and saw that she was indeed bowing before him. He then noticed her cleavage and gulped. Her dress that normally covered her chest was slightly loose. If he looked close enough at the space between her dress and her ...

"Wait stop." He slightly turned away, embarrassed about almost ogling someone he hated and forgot about his earlier rage toward her. "You don't have to do that." He was confused as to what he was doing. He was caught off guard. Was she trying to make a genuine apology?

She straightened up much to his relief and comfort.

Ok there was a slight disappointment, but Hancock wasn't worth looking at. Especially the way she treated him. He reminded himself of that.

She continued. "I am no better than the Celestial Dragons, the ones I hate the most, for what I did to you." Salome also wrapped around to comfort her. "I'm really a slave pretending to be the Queen of Amazon Lily. Once the others find out, I'll be forced to leave." She started sobbing which made Yuuto feel guilty.

Unsure what to do, Yuuto sensed his surroundings. There wasn't anyone else except Salome to help and he knew that he should say something. Her pet snake was already doing all she could. "Listen." She stopped a bit. "I understand why you treated me like that. I set myself up saying that I was going to be a slave." Yuuto started. It was his plan to be honest.

He thought maybe if he would act like a slave he could receive some mercy. There was a hope in him that maybe she would forgive him.

What he didn't account for was how irrational Hancock was going to be. But maybe that was about to change. Seeing her pause, he continued. "You were right though. I'm a wicked human being." A brief pause. He looked and realized that her apology was sincere. "I also apologize for yelling at you."

Hancock argued against that surprising him. "No you're not evil."

He sighed. "Yes I am." He paused. "I've caused countless others like you to go through the same thing. I've kidnapped at least thousands of races for them. There are so many transgressions. It's fitting for me to be a slave."

"They told me you punched a World Noble with Luffy." Hancock stated out loud. He looked at her wondering how she found out. "Elder Nyon mentioned that to me. I, " she paused and looked down ashamed before continuing. "I didn't believe that so I went to ask Luffy yesterday." Yuuto looked at her. "By the way, we aren't allowed to visit Luffy until 4 weeks have passed." She looked a little sad mentioning that and had her fingers playing with each other thinking about Luffy.

Yuuto sighed. "Continue." He probably would have been angry at her if she didn't tell him when he asked to visit.

"Luffy told me that you punched a World Noble after he did." He nodded confirming the story. "Rayleigh also added that you freed the slaves from the slave houses." She looked at him.

"So?"

Hancock looked at him realizing that he didn't deny them. "You're not the monster I thought you were. A monster would have let them continue what they did." Yuuto agreed with that but he had only just started doing so. She clarified. "A monster wouldn't have done so. You're human and I should have treated you as such." She looked like she was deciding something before she added. "Yuuto."

He looked in surprise. Hearing his name from her mouth for the first time sounded nice.

Hancock quickly covered her mouth as if she spoke a taboo word. "Just because I said your name doesn't mean I love you or that we're engaged!" She shouted out, not knowing how men's culture for name calling was.

He sweat dropped at that and looked at her before she turned away. He knew that she only loved Luffy. He was aware of her quirks. There was a slight pause. He wasn't sure how to continue.

He would tell her that name calling wasn't that drastic. "I know that Hancock." Him calling her by name surprised both of them. "I also need to apologize for one more thing." She looked confused at that. "The other day, I said you don't care about your family. But the fact is you really do love your sisters." Hancock nodded at that. "You were trying to protect them from me. Weren't you?"

Some things had clicked in the past days. Another reason why Hancock treated him harshly was that he wouldn't even think about talking to any other person.

Hearing that, Hancock nodded and remembered something. "Right! I need to apologize for slapping you."

"That's fine. I deserved it anyway." He looked at her. It was a matter of honor/pride. He would beat anyone in a similar way that disrespected his captain. There was another awkward silence giving both of them to reflect.

For the first time in a long time, Yuuto felt peaceful with himself. It felt that he made a breakthrough in understanding Hancock and for his dream of forgiveness. He wanted to ask if she would forgive him as a Chaser but didn't want to ruin it. It was way too early for that. It just sounded that right now she was going to give him a second chance.

Just like he was going to give her a second chance.

"How about let's start over?" He offered. "We both sound that we need to forget what happened to us."

She nodded. "That sounds good."

Yuuto went back to draw an arrow. As he got ready to fire, Hancock interrupted him. "Every time I use Armament Haki, I have to push my negative feelings about myself away." He looked at her curiously at her advice. "What. I had trouble unlocking Armament Haki too. It wasn't until I became Schibiukai that I unlocked it." She remembered the times she struggled.

That wasn't why he looked at her. Still, he went back to aiming at his target and smiled. It seemed that Hancock was going to help him train. [3]

* * *

Day 23

"Sanji-kun!" A shout echoed through the forest. "Where are you?"

Sanji was trying his hardest not to move or breathe to make a sound. The okamas chasing him were very good at tracking him. They claimed they could smell and hear him. According to Ivankov, this would become good stealth training.

Sanji had to hide from them almost every hour. Ivankov claimed this was good endurance training.

The scary thing was none of the okamas could use Observation Haki. He shuddered at the thought if they ever developed Observation Haki. He was also lucky that none of the okamas could Sky Walk.

Just as he thought that, he noticed one okama actually made two steps in the air before falling to the earth.

Was he the one being trained or was he training them? Sanji couldn't tell at this point.

"Sanji-kun!" He noticed a feminine shadow.

Even though the voice tried to sound feminine, he knew better to get his hopes up. He quickly turned around and kicked. He had to flee from these disgusting okamas.

He hoped that the others were training just as hard as he was.

[4]

* * *

Day 35

"Usoppu!" Heracles shouted. "You're becoming harder to find."

"That's good!" Usopp shouted back. At that moment, a lion was about to jump after Usopp."Gah! You weren't supposed to find me."

Right when the lion was about a foot away, it was lifted up suddenly.

Usopp stuck his tongue out. "You can't eat me!" He bragged.

"Very clever Usoppu." Usopp blushed and turned to his sensei. "You had the pop green on top of the tree waiting to sprout up when it sensed an enemy."

"It's thanks to you Heracles sensei." He bowed.

"Well. I can't take all the credit." Heracles humbly replied. "Your friend Yuuto gave good advice."

Usopp nodded. He remembered a conversation he had with Yuuto about his role on the crew and any weaknesses.

As a sniper, it was his job to remain hidden and take out enemies from a safe distance. Something Usopp wholeheartedly agreed with. Usopp let Yuuto know that they could take all the attention while he would stay in the back safe and sound.

However, Yuuto presented a good counterpoint. What if he was found?

They both agreed that Usopp can't get himself hurt. Usopp could take a couple hits but he was no good.

That's when they decided to come up with traps. Unfortunately, he never did develop traps. His traps would take too long to set up.

That is until Usopp was in Boin Archipelago. These Pop Greens could become his traps as well as his ammo. It was easier to carry and they grew immediately.

Just as Usopp and Heracles were about to call it a day, a group of flies came over ready to attack them.

Usopp smirked.

Midori Boshi Take Jave-in

Instantly, bamboo shoots grew and impaled the flies.

He smiled. Curious to see what the other color Pop Greens would do.

* * *

Day 43

There was a sigh across the tribe of Torino Kingdom. One villager went to knock on the door of the library. They had to make sure their preparations were ready.

"Chopper. We're ready!" Shana, the tribe leader, called out.

Soon enough, Chopper came out, a little exhausted from reading about the plants useful to treat burns. "Are we ready?"

"Ready as we've always been. We have tranquilizers ready and traps set in case."

Chopper nodded. "Good. I hope I don't hurt you guys too bad tonight." He confessed.

Every night, before Chopper went to sleep, he would try to control his Monster Point. Plenty of villagers were hiding just in case. The stronger villagers and birds were ready to help protect the village in case Chopper rampaged around.

"Don't worry. You rarely make it up all the way. If you do, the battle is not too long. It's a good exercise for us as well"

Chopper was placed in the bottom of a deep canyon that had some lights. He was scared of the dark a little bit. He would then eat 3 rumble balls and see if he could control Monster Point. He never did and was told that his Monster Point always climbed up the canyon. Sometimes, he would make it before he transformed back. Other times he didn't.

If he did make it before he transformed back, the villagers and the birds would have to defend for about 10 seconds.

As they made their way to the canyon, Chopper got on top of the bird waiting for him. As they both made their descent, Chopper was wondering if he could confront his other personality this time. He heard a faint sound every time he transformed.

As he got off, he patted the bird affectionately which the bird cooed before flying. He then yelled to the cavern. "Ready!"

A huge echo replied back.

At least if he didn't control Monster Point, it wouldn't hurt the villagers immediately. It would have to climb up all the way up which the villagers were ready for just in case.

"Alright." He then popped three rumble balls into his mouth.

" **Play "** Those were the last words Chopper heard before he fell unconscious.

7 hours later

Chopper woke up from his bed. He could move freely and quickly wrote down what he heard.

As he wrote down the words, he looked at the words that he remembered what his other self said.

Alone. Free. Play.

Hmm. If only he had a background in psychiatry or psychology.

Were these what his other self wanted?

How could he communicate with his other personality?

He then remembered about whether he hurt his friends and quickly ran out. He saw the villagers.

"Did I hurt anyone?"

One villager made a face but quickly shook his head. "No one was badly hurt. Just."

That worried Chopper. "Just what?"

"Just your monster self came up faster than normal." He let out. "We had to fight an extra 10 seconds than expected." That scared Chopper. What did that mean?

Shanba came over. "Chopper. We tried tracking your other self's path." Chopper nodded. "He seems to have made a path from his surroundings. We took it down already."

Chopper nodded. Did that mean his monster self was conscious of his surroundings? It could think? [5]

* * *

Day 46

As four weeks passed, Yuuto and Hancock went to visit Luffy and Rayleigh. Yuuto didn't have to fulfill any ridiculous demands and was treated like a normal human being. Yuuto actually focused on his training more. He still made 1000 arrows each day because he started enjoying making them not because he was told to.

In the meantime, Hancock decided to bring Luffy plenty of meat for just the two of them. It was going to be a date.

Yuuto just shrugged not caring about her ignoring him. That was just who Hancock was. He expected her to go over to Luffy to try and feed him. He would talk to Rayleigh in the mean time.

Rayleigh decided to see how far Yuuto come along. Yuuto claimed "I unlocked Armament Haki but I can use it about 6 times out of 100 tries. I can't use it with my fighting style though."

Rayleigh nodded at that. "I can understand that. That's a lot of progress though. Luffy can use Armament Haki about 1 out of 10 times. However, he can only use observation Haki 5 times in a row." Yuuto smirked at that knowing that he came a long way.

Yuuto nodded. He was sure that Luffy would figure it out. "Do you have any advice for me and Armament Haki?"

Rayleigh smiled and shook his head. "Just keep practicing yourself." He took a drink of water.

Just as Yuuto was about to ask more, Luffy asked with his mouth full. "Hey Yuuto. It looks like you and Hancock are getting along now!"

Hancock quickly shouted as if Luffy got the wrong impression. "We're not dating."

Yuuto could only chuckle at that response expecting that. Hancock made it clear she wasn't interested and he wasn't either. The last four weeks, there were times where they didn't talk but just trained. For the most part, they didn't fight with each other. "Hancock, he doesn't mean that." He gave it a thought. "Yeah. I guess we're friends now."

Yuuto looked at Hancock, doting over Luffy, and realized that he didn't hear her disagree with that. He reflected at that. Both of them didn't even notice that they had become friends.

Maybe, she would eventually forgive him.

* * *

Day 53

Robin had done another mission successfully with the Revolutionaries and was resting in her room. They had established contacts in Vanilla Town of the Grand Line. She jotted down some notes in case her crew would ever go there.

She then heard a knock on her door. "Robin!"

She smiled and opened the door. "Koala! What brings you here? Oh? Who's this?"

A blonde younger than her was standing by the door. Koala had mentioned a blonde here and there. "This is-"

The blonde quickly interrupted. "I'm Sabo. Can you talk to me about my brother?"

Robin was confused. She heard about Sabo, Dragon's right hand man. She didn't get a chance to meet him because he was in a coma. "I'm sorry. I don't know who your -"

"I'm Luffy's and Ace's older brother."

She looked at him in a mix of shock, suspicion, and distrust. He was a stranger after all and she had a hard time trusting people that she just met. Especially with the Revolutionaries. She looked at Koala and removed the distrust.

Koala was someone she could trust and she understood Robin's trust issues.

Robin was still suspicious because Luffy never mentioned him.

After a couple moments of silence from everyone, Koala broke it by saying "Sabo's going to teach us how to use Haki."[6]

* * *

[1] This to me is one of the two main reasons why post time skip we haven't seen Zoro struggle in a fight. It's a slight guilt he feels for making everyone separate even though they desperately needed it

The other reason is his constant exposure to Mihawk. He actually realizes how strong his dream is and how hard he needs to works for it in order to beat him.

[2] I don't own Soul Calibur.

There was another famous staff user that I was going to use but I decided not to. Here is a big hint there is fanart of Nami representing the famous staff user I had in mind

I went with Kilik just to be a little original.

For the record, this is just a way to make Nami a little bit stronger 1v1. In canon right now, the fact that she has Zeus literally makes her glass cannon who is great at killing large mobs.

[3]

I don't enjoy writing Hancock as a bitch. I also sped this along so Yuuto could finally start training more. This is important.

[4]

Don't worry Sanji. After your training at Newkama land, you'll be hard to find. Just imagine how much easier your raid suit's going to make it for you.

[5]

As mentioned back in Enies Lobby, I wanted to explore Chopper's monster point.

I think it's kind of like a Hulk or alternate personality inside because Franky couldn't control it.

Also, I'm having trouble thinking of a name for Chopper's monster point. I keep thinking of the name Chomper but I don't really like that name.

Let me know in the reviews if you have a better name in mind.

[6]

I can't be the only one curious about how Sabo, Koala, and Robin interacted during the two year time skip.

Also, notice that Robin will be learning how to unlock Haki.

During the two year time skip, there will be a focus some character development for certain characters. You should be able to guess who they are at this point.

Regarding romance, NO ONE IS GETTING A HAREM.

Consider that some male and female interactions will be as friends nothing more. Feelings also make it seem confusing and nothing is black and white. I will keep that in mind going forward.

There may be temporary love interests (example like how Yuuto with Vivi or Kalifa) but at the end, when there's it's all said and done, characters will end up with ONLY ONE character.

I am not talented enough to write how a character ends up with multiple characters or a serious love triangle between others. It's better to focus more on one on one for proper growth. I have certain plans about the couples and they have been foreshadowed. I may have given you all a couple red herrings throughout the story.

I will not say what the final pairing is until it is official. I set up my mind about them and I have valid reasons for them. Read carefully to see what the reasons are in my story. Not because of what happens in canon.

I don't want to completely the two year training, but I will give glimpses of what happens. Some will be funny and some will introduce elements that will be important later on in the story.

I also updated the Marineford chapter to give some tribute to Kinryu Arimoto voice actor of Whitebeard. I didn't realize that the voice actor of Whitebeard had died Febuary 1st. I had uploaded that chapter around February 22nd. Unintentional timing but still I feel like giving a moment of respect.

Until next time


	35. Chapter 35 2 Year Training Part 2

Disclaimer : Nope I don't own One Piece.

Spoilers about current manga: If you're up to date with the recent chapter (935), what we learned about seastone, might change a minor part of my plot.

* * *

Two Year Training Part 2

Day 65 [Author's recommendation Listen to Bruch Violin Concerto played by Jascha Heifetz while reading this part]

Brook stood slightly nervous before the crowd and the orchestra. He was asked by his possible manager to give a "soulful" performance to the record company. They were to judge his performance.

When he was told that he had to play a meaningful musical piece, he immediately knew which piece he had to play. Max Bruch's Violin Concerto no. 1 in G minor.

The particular violin concerto played correctly would tell his story and his soul.

The first movement would build up the rest of the song. In the second movement, he would convey his feelings of loneliness before meeting the Straw Hat pirates. In the third movement, as he played the victorious sounding double stops that would represent the Strawhats finding him and the emotions he felt.

Perhaps he would only play the third movement again, when they reunited or when Luffy becomes Pirate King.

As Brook set his violin ready to begin and waited for the flutes to finish their part, he began playing G, with his hands vibratoing on the next string over. This beginning had to be played perfectly. It wasn't just for the Strawhats; it was also for the Rumbar pirates.

One of the segments in the first movement reminded Brook of the peaceful times with the Rumbar pirates. It was a simpler time back then. When he still had flesh. He could freely play music.

As he continued, he hoped french horn player would land perfectly with his note before they made the transition. It conveyed the end of those times that he would always appreciate.

As he started transitioning to a different section that started with doublestops, it reminded him of the finale of the Rumbar pirates. They dropped dead just as he set his bow down on the violin playing the doublestops. They all played hectically knowing their time was going to end. Right when he finished playing his segment, he stopped to have the orchestra take over the melody.

Eventually, he would be the only one continuing to play. He began as he did with the first movement, starting with G. He made sure his vibrato would make his strings vibrate in a way that reflected his loneliness. As he finished that section, the orchestra would take over the next melody.

As the orchestra quieted down again, he would immediately begin the second movement. This movement he made sure he began playing piano (quiet and soft). This movement would depict his loneliness from being separated from his friends and his shadow. Regardless, he still had his soul.

Every long note he played in this part, he made sure it vibrated according to his feeling. As he played the sixteenth notes and the trillos, he played each note expressively. Every slur he played he hoped the audience would hear his sorrow of being lonely.

After taking a five measure break, the B flat he played when he resumed playing would convey hope. The mood was about to change. Meeting the Strawhats had inspired that hope to get his shadow back and fulfill his promise to Laboon.

As he finished his last note for the second movement, the orchestra began the third movement in a happier tune. He then slightly changed his grip on the bow and prepared to played the next part.

From the first doublestop, Brook played; he had to make sure that each double stop sounded energetic and victorious. That was how he felt when Zoro got his shadow back. Brook made sure to play fortissimo (really loud) for the whole audience to hear. This was a moment of triumph.

This was building up until he could slow down at the next part. He then played a melodic dance that would then speed up to the moment of triumph. He would have to do this one more time.

As he was nearing the end, he knew he had to keep playing faster and faster and end dramatically, hoping the audience would want more. He ended with his bow in the air and waited for the applause.

A brief silence was held in the air. As Brook set his bow down, he heard the applause and a couple tears. His music and his soul had moved people.

Brook saw that one of the few who was crying was Scratchman Apoo, one of his competitors for the record deal.

Brook remembered him from Sabaody and how they got into an argument about music. Scratchman heard about how his island was hosting a chance to win a record deal so he and his crew came back.

He walked off the stage and was approached by Apoo who walked over. He put a hand over to Brook. "Thank you for showing me how music should be played. I now understand what you mean."

Brook took it and shook it. Even though they were both competing for the record deal associated with the Long Arms Productions, it meant a lot to him to hear other musicians praise him.

As Apoo his way to audition, Brook's managers then approached him to tell him the news.

"Brook. You'll get the offer with the company if you can also play some upbeat music. The company wants someone to convey happier emotions. Can you play the guitar?"

Brook nodded. It was not a challenge at all. After playing that piece, he felt that he was more in tune with his Devil Fruit power. He could play some happier music next time.

Perhaps him learning guitar would also be a symbol of him also letting go of his past.

As he listened to Apoo's clarinet solo, and remembering Apoo's destructive power in his music, maybe Brook could also use his soul in his swordsmanship.

[1]

* * *

Day 77

Yuuto was walking back to the arrow range in the castle from his 5 minute break. His Armament Haki had improved to the point that if he shot an arrow, he had a 23% chance of piercing the stone.

The progress he felt that he was making wasn't fast enough for him. To make matters worse, he still couldn't incorporate Armament Haki with his martial arts, his main fighting style.

Yuuto kept himself to a high standard but figured this was something he was naturally bad at.

As he passed the kitchen, he heard slow chopping and looked inside. He saw Hancock holding a knife incorrectly to cook meat with Salome was watching intently. He laughed Hancock would be better off killing people with that knife grip.

Curious, he came in and asked. "Hey Hancock. What are you doing?" Salome made no motion.

Hancock looked over and blushed. "I'm cooking." Yuuto looked on for her to elaborate; he could tell that already. "For Luffy." Yuuto reflected that they weren't really friends if they didn't talk outside of training. The two were neutral to each other. They were just acquaintances. There were cases that Hancock did seem annoyed at his presence, but she did remain cordial to him.

Yuuto could only laugh to himself at that realizing the answer was going to be so simple. Of course, she was cooking for Luffy. "You really want to impress him. Don't you?" He asked. He was suddenly in a good mood.

She nodded. "Today's the day we get to visit him. Ever since the last time we had our date," Yuuto mentally sighed. Just because they were eating together does not mean it was a date. Especially when he and Rayleigh were right next over. If it was a date, him and Rayleigh should not have been there third wheeling.

He paid attention to what Hancock was saying. "He mentioned that the meat was not as good as Sanji's. I wanted to impress him." Yuuto nodded understanding that.

However, as he looked, he realized that she had some trouble cutting meat. He walked over and picked up a knife. "This is how you hold a knife to cut meat."

Hancock, surprised at his knowledge, tried to copy him. "Like this?"

Yuuto laughed. "No your thumb is in the wrong position. It should be on the blade. The way you hold a knife now is the way you should use to kill someone. It probably cuts through what 10 pirates?"

She felt embarrassed at the statement that could be true. "So like this." She tried to do what Yuuto offered.

Yuuto chuckled. She accidentally moved her other fingers to fix that grip. Yuuto walked behind her and gently grabbed her fingers.

As he was about to position her fingers around the knife, he noticed that her fingers were surprisingly delicate. That was quite a surprise seeing that he had seen her fight before. They never sparred against each other but he witnessed her impressive strength.

Seeing his position and how close he was to her, he accidentally smelled her. She smelled like lilies.

Realizing the proximity and what he just did, he quickly moved away. Salome also pushed him away not liking the close proximity the two had. Hancock turned really red.

"What are you doing? I love Luffy, not you." She seemed to be accusing him of something. She was happy that Luffy wasn't there otherwise it would have sent the wrong impression.

Yuuto, dumbfounded and slightly upset at himself for acting too rashly, continued. "I know. Sorry." He apologized. He shouldn't have startled her or given her the wrong impression knowing how naive she was. "I was trying to help you grip a knife properly. I didn't mean anything by that. I don't love you." He bowed before her because it was how her culture worked. "I swear."

She looked at him as if she didn't believe him.

Yuuto sighed. If only she was brought up in normal society.

That contact meant nothing….

Realizing there was a long awkward silence, he continued. "I was about to position your fingers around the knife so you know how to grip it. It will help cut the meat and make the meat taste better." He paused before adding. "It's for Luffy's sake."

At those magic words, Hancock dismissed what happened and daydreamed about Luffy. She could only imagine what it would be like if it was Luffy teaching her or in the previous position the two just shared. When she realized how close he needed to be, she slightly gulped and said. "Show me." She wasn't comfortable being close to a man who wasn't Luffy.

This time, Yuuto went side by side to her instead of behind her. Salome also watched carefully. Hancock looked a little thankful at that. As he reached his hand over to touch Hancock's hand again, he again remembered how fragile it was.

Remembering his earlier statement, he focused on his task and fixed Hancock's grip on the knife. As he finished, he instantly let go. "There. Remember this position. It's called a pinch grip." She looked at him surprised at what he knew. "This way, it's safer and easier to cut this way." He decided to slightly walk away. "Remember to use your other hand's knuckles to control how much you want to cut."

As he was about to walk away, she asked. "What do you mean?"

He walked over and motioned for the knife. She gave it to him as he began to demonstrate. "This is how we cut." With a knife on his left hand, he put out his right hand. "We use the other hand, position it like this." He showed her the bear claw. "That way we get also control how big each cut should be with our knuckles protecting each cut."

Hancock nodded understanding the logic behind it. Yuuto then continued. "Luffy likes big pieces but me and Sanji would always have to cut it to make sure he doesn't choke." Yuuto didn't know why but he was thankful that what he showed Hancock, none of it came from Sanji.

Hancock then pulled out a notebook as if out of thin air and jotted that down. Yuuto smiled at that. As he was about to leave, he heard something."Yuuto." He paused and looked back. "Thank you. I will use your teachings to win Luffy's heart."

He smiled and laughed awkwardly realizing it was the second time she called him by his name. "You're welcome." He quickly left.

As he left to get ready to visit Luffy, he wondered what he was thinking earlier about Hancock. About that close contact the two had.

He breathed out. Hancock was just physically attractive. Nothing more. He had to remind himself he found nothing attractive about her character.

* * *

Day 85

"Super!" Franky yelled praising himself. "I finished making General Franky!"

He looked ready to marvel at his work. It was made of wapometal, a new metal recently discovered. It was flame resistant and could easily change forms. It was the perfect metal to use for transformations. Franky knew they didn't have much space on the ship so it would be best to have parts that transform to serve multiple functions.

It had lasers similar to Kizaru's light beam. It could launch missiles and fire bullets in he needed extra fire power.

"I wish I could show it to the rest of the crew." He smiled at the faces that they would have when they saw this.

Well Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Robin wouldn't be impressed with this. Yuuto would only like it after testing it out. Franky noticed how he enjoyed playing with the inventions he and Usopp made.

Realizing how much he missed the crew, Franky though of some ideas to modify it so that the General Franky would have some of the crew's attacks.

He wondered their faces would look if he made it cut like Zoro or shocked its enemies similar to Nami or Yuuto. It could already transform like Chopper and shoot enemies like Usopp.

Oh, he forgot to make the arms stretch like Luffy.

It should also fly for some additional air support. That could help Sanji or Yuuto.

Robin's and Brook's would be hard to think of but he'll think of something with the General Franky.

Franky smiled. He wasn't done with General Franky as he originally thought.

[2]

* * *

Day 92

Chopper was considering what he had found recently. His Beast Point did have a personality that talked. It seemed to have a will now.

From what he recorded, his Beast Point seemed to say the word friends sixteen times, play twenty seven times, and free four times. He also mentioned the word alone thirty five times and nakama fifteen times while he was transforming.

He was curious if he could talk to him and see if he could reason with the beast. See what he was thinking.

As he looked at the canyon, he wondered if his beast friend was possible of logic.

He decided to do an experiment. On the ground, he wrote Hi. Maybe, he could write back.

As the villagers signaled, they were ready. Chopper took the three rumble balls.

" **Hi."** This time, Chopper didn't fade into unconsciousness just yet. He heard a voice but didn't see anyone. All he saw was snow as if he were back on Drum Island.

"Hi?" He weakly greeted back. Or did he need to think back? Either way, that voice sounded intimidating.

" **Will you"** The voice paused straining to say the next word. **"Play with me?"**

Chopper knew he couldn't be scared. Before he could say ok, he heard something behind him and fainted too scared to see what it was.

* * *

Day 95

Chopper mentally prepared himself. He wasn't going to faint this time.

Like he did the last three times. It was just that his Beast Point sounded scary. He never saw him, but it sounded large and intimidating.

He was ready to face his monster self and show him who's boss. He was ready to fight.

Granted, he imagined that he was going to pummeled by his monster form.

He shouted. "I'm a man!" As if to prepare himself with his battle cry. He was going to think of a way to beat it.

A cry echoed the canyon. "What do you mean? Aren't you a tanuki?" He heard from up there.

Before Chopper could grumble and complain, Chopper ignored it and ate three rumble balls.

As he went to his conscious again, he yelled. "I'm here!" Come and fight me!

" **Play."** a pause. **"With"** another pause. **"Me."**

Chopper looked around and finally found his Monster Form. It actually looked like a mirror reflection of himself. It was the same height as he was. They looked identical even with the same blue nose. The only difference was Chopper's skin was darker brown.

Just as Chopper was about to talk to him, his other form smiled. **"Friend!"**

Chopper sweat dropped a little. Maybe, he was nicer all this time. "Wait. I'm not your friend." He corrected.

At that, his other form then growled. **"What do"** His other self pounded the ground. **"You mean."**

Chopper marveled at his strength shaking the ground but focused. This was his imagination, not real life. He couldn't be intimidated by it... no ... him actually. "You're me. And I'm you."

The beast stay silent as if processing what Chopper just said.

Chopper sighed and took him not hurting him as a good sign. "What do you want to do?" He wasn't sure how to communicate with him.

The beast smiled. **"Play."**

[3]

* * *

Day 100

"Sanji-kun!" Sanji winced hearing his name. He had gotten caught by one of the Okama head chefs, Mulaney. He was stronger than most of the okamas present on this island.

"I heard that you've been refusing the okama way." Sanji was in a tight hold. Both of his arms were being held by Mulaney.

Sanji winced and refused to back down. "That's right."

"Wrong answer." Sanji then yelled at the extra pressure. "Do you want to try again?"

"No."

"Wrong answer again." Sanji yelled again at the extra pressure. It only hurt momentarily and didn't cause long term damage to his precious hands. Mulaney then glared. "Say it."

"No. Never." Sanji refused.

"Say it." More pressure. This time, Sanji didn't yell but it was getting harder for him to feel his arms.

"No. I'm a man." As a man, he had principles.

"SAY IT!" Ok. Nevermind, any more pressure, his arms might not work anymore.

At that, Sanji relented. "Fine." Some pressure in his arm was released.

"Finish the statement."

"No!" The pressure came back. "Fine. I'll say it." He thanked that no one was recording this to be seen. He would hate any of the Strawhats to see it. He had to say it for his arms sake.

"We want to hear you say it." The okamas nearby looked happy, ready to hear Sanji admit it.

Sanji closed his eyes embarrassed. "I'm a little fat girl." He said it in a falsetto voice.

Mulaney then smiled. "That's right. Now here's the recipe. Now fetch." Mulaney released him and threw out the recipe like a newspaper to a dog.

Sanji then grabbed the recipe. He looked at it. "This doesn't make sense." It looked more like a receipt than an actual recipe.

"That's because it was a fake. You lost. Try again some other time." At that moment, the okamas started running after Sanji again.

As Sanji ran again to hide from them, he wondered if the other crew members were going through a similar kind of nightmare.

[4]

* * *

Day 116

"Yuuto-sensei!" Hancock cried out. "Please teach me how to be Luffy's ideal wife."

Yuuto facepalmed hearing that. This was one of the few times she had called him by his name.

The last couple weeks she had been overseeing his training more. She offered advice on how to unlock Armament Haki and reminded him to remember the focus one was supposed to have.

Not that he could focus well when she was there. He was able to use Armament Haki to around 42% of the time. He was sure that if she wasn't there it would be higher.

Sometimes, she had to leave the country and perform some Shichibukai duties. He could focus on his training better. From what he noticed, whenever he came back all she did was go visit towns and brought back clothes and books. He had caught her reading a book titled Why Men Love Bitches while she was overseeing his training.

When he asked her about it, she said it was to impress Luffy.

Yuuto shook his head revealing to her that Luffy liked people who were nice. Still, Yuuto thought it was cute to see her try and win Luffy's love. Luffy was absolutely clueless.

Outside of training, they had begun to spend more time together, and they ended talking about miscellaneous things. However, they always ended up talking about Luffy and the Strawhats. Hancock brought Luffy up just to learn more about him. To her, Yuuto seemed like the resident Luffy expert.

Hancock was really impressed with how well it seemed that Yuuto knew Luffy and the crew. Yuuto only smiled realizing that he remembered his crew well enough now. Talking with Luffy every month helped get some memories back. He started to remember Luffy well but not the other members. He could only look forward to the end of the two years where they would all reunite.

He made sure that he was careful about explaining Nami and Robin to her. He hoped Hancock wouldn't misunderstand too much. He was sure Hancock would be the jealous type.

He didn't want to read news about Nami and Robin mysteriously disappearing and it had something to do with snakes.

Hearing about the facts he had given about the crew, Hancock had randomly asked first, "What do you think Luffy's dream girl is? I can change." If Yuuto knew a lot about Luffy, he was sure to know his type.

The way she looked at him so earnestly was really cute and actually made him want to slightly blush. Especially the way she had a notebook, as if she was a student taking a major test. Maybe this would be the way for her to acknowledge to him they were friends. Still, it wasn't his place to do so.

"I can't do that." He solemnly said. If he did, he would feel like he was breaking a promise.

"Why not?" At that moment, Hancock pouted which Yuuto almost considered giving in.

Almost being the key word. He decided not to answer and shrugged. Not wanting to explain the answer himself.

It was something he couldn't explain himself.

* * *

Day 117

"Yuuto!" Hancock fervently looked at him with her soft and delicate fingers on his hands. "Make me your dream woman."

Yuuto woke up from his sleep, panting. Relieved and slightly disappointed, it was only a dream.

He groaned loudly wondering why he was slight disappointed. He had a sneaking feeling why. He wasn't going back to sleep after that. He needed to shower to collect his thoughts.

First was what did Hancock think of him? With the time they spent more together, he now considered themselves as more than acquaintances. He wasn't sure if they were partners or friends. The relationship wasn't exactly just teacher and student. She never mentioned what she actually thought of him.

The closest was calling him sensei but Yuuto felt that was just because he was an expert on Luffy. He reflected how she would take down notes whenever he started talking about Luffy and his friends. It was as if he was the professor on teaching her an introductory class about Luffy.

Not that he knew exactly how Luffy's mind worked. Logic didn't apply to Luffy.

Yuuto groaned. Secondly and more importantly, he was feeling something more about her. It wasn't just a physical attraction anymore. He could admit to himself that he was now attracted to her personality. It felt like a crush.

He meditated the last time he had these serious feelings. He tried to remember if he felt anything for a girl past a physical attraction.

He thought about the recent girls he met since being a Strawhat, remembering Nami and Robin the most because he spent the most time with them.

He would admit that both of them were physically attractive but he didn't love their personalities. Nami did have a caring side to her, but she wasn't his type. Robin was beautiful but too similar to him.

The last time he felt he had a serious crush was when he was 9 on some girl he didn't really remember. He tried to validate these feelings he had for Hancock. The way she acted was really cute. Her personality, now that he got to know her better, grew on him. He thought her love for Luffy was sweet and genuine.

Actually, she was a sweet woman who always tried to do the right thing for Luffy. She wanted to change herself for Luffy. That kind of love was actually kind of touching.

He pondered what to do with this. He didn't want to purposely get her angry. That seemed unfair and drastic and wouldn't help both of them. He sighed. He could try to avoid her but that would be tough seeing that she was the only who who seemed to actually make him improve in his training.

Others tried, but he only improved while she was helping him.

The problem was he shouldn't have a crush. Not on her especially. She was strongly in love with Luffy and there was no way she was going to fall in love with a Chaser. He had to be an idiot to have such a crush or to have such a hope that it worked.

Maybe if Hancock became Luffy's girlfriend, he'll stop having this crush. Yuuto would respect that and stop having these feelings.

Right when he decided that he'll help Hancock win Luffy or get Luffy to notice Hancock, that was when something in his memory came back.

Nami was also in love with Luffy. He punched the air in slight frustration. That wouldn't be fair to both Nami and Hancock if he only helped one over the other.

Not to mention it was Luffy's choice. He shouldn't manipulate him.

Did Yuuto really remember Nami's love earlier? That's why he didn't want to help Hancock because he subconsciously remembered that?

He also realized that he seemed to be putting Nami and Hancock on equal positions. Which makes no sense because even if he remembers Nami wrong, Nami was more important to him than Hancock was. He was sure that he treated Nami as if she was like his younger sister. Nami was a closer friend.

Hancock was just a crush. So why was he putting both of them on equal levels.

He contemplated more. It was really Luffy's decision who to choose. What could Yuuto do in this situation?

Seduce Hancock to fall in love with him instead.

He shook his head at that ridiculous thought. That must be his silly crush talking again. There was no way that was going to happen.

She may become a friend with a Chaser but loving a Chaser would be impossible.

As he turned off the faucet ending his shower, he could only hope that this crush would go away.

Friendship could be reciprocated, but not love.

He should focus more on training not on his feelings.

* * *

Day 124

After they finished Haki training for the day, Robin was asked to describe the entire crew. Robin happily obliged.

Hearing their adventures, Sabo smiled about the trust she had for Luffy's crew. It seemed Luffy had a strong and smart crew. That was an important balance. Most importantly, they were dependable to protect his stupid little brother

Robin looked at Koala. She sighed remembering one of her crew members and his dreams.

Remembering Koala's back story, she asked. "Koala, would you be able to forgive a Chaser for what they've done?" As they sailed back from Water Seven, Yuuto had made it clear to Robin that he would help accomplish her dream as friends not as business partners. Robin cared enough about Yuuto to see if he could help find a sense of atonement. Maybe Koala would help.

Koala looked hesitantly at what Robin had just asked her. Hearing the long pause and discomfort she experienced, Sabo took her hand to comfort her. He had seen her grow up and could guess what she was feeling.

Koala blushed at the contact but remained focused at the question she was asked.

She didn't know the answer to that. Even though, this crew mate sounded dependable; it would be hard to forgive after all the pain and suffering back then. That's why she was grateful to Fisher Tiger and the Fishmne. She looked at Robin and shook her head no for the time being. She didn't know this Chaser at all.

Robin nodded understanding. Some wounds were too deep. [5]

* * *

[1] Youtube Jascha Heifetz's Violin Concerto Bruch. This is the version that I imagine Brook is playing.

I used to play violin and this piece before. This was one of the ways I thought about showing Brook's character. That experience definitely helped me a lot in writing this particular segment.

Any former violinists who played this piece, I hope you review about this section and see the feelings I can imagine it being connected to his story.

Also notice there's Scratchman Apoo.

[2]

Franky's going to get the least development in the Two Year Time Period.

Currently, this is the order of character development of what I planned the most during this time.

Yuuto, Chopper, Nami, Robin, Brook, Zoro, Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Franky

I'm not planning on writing much about Luffy because we already have an idea about him. His development will be shown in some flashbacks and not during the two year training.

Franky will have his moments in a later arc.

[3]

I actually liked the reviews for the idea of calling it Beast Point. Kudos to Gen3sian and Soledge1.

I also hope for an actual name for his other personality as well. I keep thinking of the name Chomper.

[4]

Youtube John Mulaney. Delta Airlines. I hope that the scene make more sense. I drew some inspiration from that skit that you can tell if you watch it.

[5]

I hope that's a nice parallel with Koala and Hancock.

About the book that Hanock's reading, I never read it. I just thought it was funny to just use it.

Yuuto doesn't remember Vivi, Kalifa, and Stussy because of what happened in Impel Down affecting his memories. Those are the only other girls that in my story he may have been romantic.

Remember that Stussy was just trying to one up Kalifa and Yuuto felt nothing in chapter 26. There was some chemistry between Yuuto and Kalifa but they were enemies (Chapter 22). Yuuto and Vivi didn't really work because of the age gap and Yuuto only saw her as a younger sister (Chapter 12) .

The only women he remembered that he might have a serious relationship with are the ones in his crew.

Please leave a review about what you think.


	36. Chapter 36 2 Year Training Part 3

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or chapter 937.

Slight Spoilers about chapter 936: I was kind of happy of how Oda made Robin and Nami the first Strawhats that Hawkins met. Just because I had written in my story that the first Strawhats Hawkins met were Robin and Nami. Go back to my Chapter 28 towards the end.

It kind of makes me glad to see that what I had written actually come true later on albeit that's a stretch and a very small minor part.

I also want to take the time to say thank you to the reviews, favs, and follows I've received. Your support does mean a lot and I hope that you guys continue to enjoy the ride that I have planned out.

Onward to the story.

* * *

Two Year Training Part 3

Day 136

Chopper had gotten along with his Beast Point, naming him Crusher.

They would talk when Chopper used rumble balls. Chopper was also becoming conscious of the outside world when he was in Beast Point Form. He wasn't in control, but he knew what was going on.

Chopper was teaching Crusher how to speak properly. If later on, Chopper planned to teach him medicine if he was interested. But Crusher seemed slow.

From Chopper's of view, whenever Crusher was in control, he wanted to find someone to play with. Of course, with that size and strength, it was hard to find someone to play with. Crusher was also conscious to realize that a lot of times people wanted to hurt him.

It seemed that Crusher was a manifestation of his feelings of loneliness back in Drum Island. Crusher seemed to be fully conscious around Sabaody. Chopper tried to explain to him that he wasn't lonely anymore. They had each other now and the crew. However, Crusher remembered a fox masked man and an orange haired girl sending him to the ocean and seemed skeptical about the crew.

Chopper reflected what Yuuto mentioned whenever he practiced his martial arts. There needed to be peace in his being.

He now understood what Yuuto meant by his internal conflict.

Chopper sighed. He was hoping to see his crew soon so Crusher could meet the crew and become friends with them.

Talking to Crusher was literally talking to himself.

He hoped there was a way for all of the crew to also be able to talk to Crusher. Chopper could only talk to Crusher in his mind so there was no physical friends. Unless he went to Beast Point.

He wondered how the rest were doing.

He kept the remains of the watch Franky made for them. It had gotten broken when Chopper transformed to his Beast Point.

If only he could talk to them right now.

In the meantime, he'd settle for the inhabitants at Torino Kingdom. Maybe they could become friends with Crusher. [1]

* * *

Day 147

Nami had trained with Kilik for 3 months before they dropped him off. There was nothing more that he could teach her. He was also a wanderer. The next time they would meet, Kilik promised that they would duel to see how far she's grown.

Her master Kilik had shown her all of his techniques and passed down the Ling-Sheng Su scrolls down for her to review. He had shown her how to do some specific techniques; she just needed to execute them faster so it would become muscle memory. Kililk praised her that she had a good foundation.

However, Kilik admitted to Nami that his style of bojutsu wasn't suited to her natural ability. Kilik's brute force and agility in his techniques were nothing like Nami's natural flexibility and trickery.

Nami sighed hearing that but understood. However, Kilik also explained to her that she had a different staff better suited for her. She would have a different destructive potential than he could ever match. His style was better suited one on one while she was better suited to take down groups of enemies. Nami smiled realizing that her crew would worry about the one on one fights more often.

Still, Kilik advised that in order to protect herself in those situations where she has to fight one on one. She agreed with that wholeheartedly. She remembered she had to fight Miss Doublefinger and Kalifa by herself.

He warned her that he would come back one day before the two years to challenge her.

As she had finished her physical workout and was preparing to go to bed, she felt something was off. She examined herself in the mirror to see what it was and noticed her hair was a little longer now, reaching her shoulder. She debated whether she should cut it or wear a ponytail while she trained.

Personally, she liked seeing herself with longer hair. She could already imagine Sanji praising her beauty when they all came back.

She smiled realizing what was wrong,

It was too quiet. It was too quiet at Weatheria.

If she was at the Thousand Sunny right now, she would be going to sleep after working on her map of the world.

However, in the meantime, she could imagine hear Franky tinkering with some new invention that exploded as she tried. Maybe Brook would be playing music right now and hopefully not asking her for her panties. Zoro and Yuuto would be training. Robin would be silently reading in the library. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper would be playing around on the deck. Those three would be playing a game of tag that somehow got everyone in the crew involved except her and Robin.

Sanji would be yelling for her and Robin to join them whenever he was it. It was just an excuse so he could touch them.

She smiled. She missed yelling at the crew.

No, she corrected as she touched the watch she kept near her desk. She missed each and every single one of them.

Yuuto and Robin would be the only responsible ones who would try and calm her down.

As she was preparing to go back to sleep, she wondered if Luffy would notice how her hair looked when they reunited.

She sighed remembering that she should focus on her dream and helping his dream. That's why they were all training to accomplish their dreams. She wasn't some lovesick girl.

* * *

Day 150

Yuuto woke up in the middle of the night. Hancock had been in his dreams again. He had moved back to the castle the last two weeks at all three Boa's sisters' insistence. He only agreed because they said that he could train faster that way.

He sighed. This dream now happened at most twice a week causing him to wake up between 4 and 5 AM. He was lucky though. Whatever those scientists did, he could function normally with about three hours of sleep. Maybe he should only sleep 3 hours a day from now on instead of his normal 6 hours.

He got dressed and planned to work on his physical conditioning. Just because he was using a bow most of the time, he couldn't neglect the physical training in the marital arts. He also started learning Bajiquan from the scrolls he received from Hancock. He felt that he needed to learn a new fighting style especially with going into the New World. Most of the styles he knew were focused on grappling and breaking the opponents bones to immobilize them. Unfortunately, that styles required a lot of energy; he wasn't sure how many people he would have to fight.

He remembered that the Black Lion, the best fighter of all the Chasers of all time and the zombie he fought, liked to used Bajiquan. That fighting style would preserve energy to fight more opponents.

Still, he had a bigger problem. On one hand, he could use Armament Haki with the arrows about 42% of the time. However, he felt he wasn't growing stronger fast enough. He felt frustrated because he was a martial artist and he couldn't use Armament Haki on his arms or his body.

He groaned. Luffy could use Armament Haki at least 70% of the time last he checked and was close to using Observation Haki consistently. Why was he struggling so much with this?

His feelings for Hancock weren't exactly helping. If Hancock was helping him train, he would sometimes feel pressured.

Still, thinking about his earlier dreams, he couldn't help but smile. At least, now that he was awake, he looked forward to at least spending some real life time with her.

He shook his head focusing on his goal. The goal was to become stronger within the next year and a half. If he was lucky, maybe Hancock would genuinely forgive him as a Chaser. He had no time to fool around over a crush that was going to be unrequited. He wasn't dumb. As he left the room, he sensed around the castle.

The one who plagued his mind constantly was awake with her snake and left her room walking toward a balcony.

Still, Yuuto was going to train regardless. It was just a coincidence. He had a lot of work to be done. The entrance toward the balcony happened to be along the exit he normally used. He would walk past her and ignore her. Simple as that. He wouldn't even talk to her.

He was a man of self control and would not act like some teenager hung over some crush. He had principles and responsibilities to take care of that were more important than her.

As he walked along, he made sure he wouldn't look in. He even turned his head away from the door. He wouldn't be tempted to spy on her. He was a proper man who wouldn't take advantage of a woman.

However, he should have closed his ears. He heard a faint sound of tears as he had successfully walked past the door.

Two steps away from the stairs, he changed directions and walked into the balcony as if a magnet attracted him. He had forgotten his focus to train, completely worried about why she was crying.

When he saw Hancock, she was looking at the moon while wiping away some of her tears. She turned around as she sensed him. "You." She pointed as if she was caught guilty of doing something she shouldn't have done. Yuuto immediately put his hand up. "Don't tell anyone what you saw." Salome looked tired but stared at him threateningly.

He nodded but was unsure of what was the secret. "I won't." Maybe it wasn't his place to know. He looked up at the night sky and paused. "Why are you up in the middle of the night?" Seeing that she didn't respond. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

She sighed. "I had a bad dream." She didn't ask about him because everyone in the castle knew that Yuuto woke up early.

Yuuto froze a little, slightly understanding. It was similar to why he was awake but he had a good dream. He just decided to train after it. He chose his next actions carefully; he couldn't let her know about them. "Well, it's just a dream. Not like it could happen in real life." He offered logically to convince himself as well.

She shook her head thinking about what she dreamed. She was still hesitating. Yuuto had seen this and his body moved closer. Just as he was about to touch her, he froze realizing that would send the wrong message to her. She hadn't noticed and he backed away. He sighed wondering how and why he got himself in this situation. "Why don't you tell me about it?" He offered not knowing what to say.

She shook her head no, but her tears were about to fall. He calmly touched her shoulder to cause her to turn to him. She didn't make a comment about his touch. "Please." He wanted to know.

"I had nightmares about..." She gave him a look, decided not to say anymore, and turned away.

Yuuto let go and also turned away. He knew exactly what she was referring to with those eyes.

Mary Geoise. Slave.

He breathed out. That was quite a problem; if she or her sisters were found out, they would go back. He didn't have comfortable memories about Mary Geoise as well. He never experienced the hell that Hancock went through for four years, but he was fully aware of it.

"I'm sorry." He said to which Hancock looked surprised. He wasn't the one who caused her misfortune directly but maybe he brought up memories for Hancock. This was the first time he noticed that she had nightmares, but he knew that she always lived under that constant pressure.

He secretly looked at her when she wasn't looking. It was those moments she had a sense of weariness, as if she could never afford to let her guard down.

Until now.

He then bowed to make his apology. "I wish I didn't have to be a reminder of what you lived like."

"Yuuto." Hancock started and motioned for him to get up. He was still not used to her calling his name. "It's not your fault." She tried comforting him. "Besides you gave us fruit and water by sneaking it every morning. That was always nice." She paused and gave a small friendly smile to him. "I loved the apples you gave."

He had to control whatever he was thinking because she looked cute. "Still." He started. It didn't make up what how many people he enslaved.

"You know." Hancock started. "You must have been really brave if you were 9 to help us. I'm sure you knew the consequences." Yuuto looked surprised at her praise and her change in mood. Wasn't he trying to comfort her? How was he the one being comforted? That was also the first time he heard her compliment him directly.

He laughed bitterly. Being younger was easier. "I couldn't stand for what the World Nobles did. That's why I helped in whatever way I could by giving every slave food and water." He then turned away ashamed. "However, that all changed once I became a Chaser." It was his so called family honor to serve them.

"But you're not that person anymore."

Hearing that from her meant a lot to him. Even if she would never like him romantically.

"At least, you don't have the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon. You don't have to be controlled ever again." She started crying while he looked at her sympathetically. It was his job to hunt those marked to bring them back to the World Nobles. "I will always be a slave." A pause. She then turned away to look out the railing while Salome looked on fully aware of her insecurities. Hancock continued to open up. "I'm scared to let my guard down."

Yuuto looked surprised. Here she was letting her guard down before him.

It was strangely attractive to him.

"I'm afraid of the day that may come when people find out who I am. I'll be forced to leave my home and live again as a slave." She spilled one of her fears.

Immediately hearing that and without thinking, Yuuto immediately said. "I'll protect you if that ever happens." A Chaser protecting a slave from the World Nobles. How ironic.

Just as she looked at him when he said that, he blushed. That wasn't something she really wanted to hear he thought. He added quickly. "And Luffy." That would help her more. "Luffy will protect you as well."

Hearing about Luffy, she looked crestfallen at that. "But why would he do that? He doesn't love me. Who could love a slave like me?" She asked sorrowfully and wiped her tears that were falling out.

After those words, before he could refute that, Yuuto paused.

Realizing what he was about to say, the Strawhat's Bodyguard knew he had fallen in love with the Pirate Empress.

He broke an unspoken rule about being a Chaser, not that he took pride in being one.

It was why he looked forward to spending time with her. It was why he was happy whenever he woke up from his dreams. It was why he was almost constantly distracted by her. It was why he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her act so cute and shy whenever she thought of Luffy. Why he dropped his training just to hear what was wrong with her.

Even though he thought she did deserve the title of being the World's Most Beautiful Woman, it wasn't just a physical attraction anymore. He had fallen in love with Hancock's personality even if she acted like a snob sometimes. Even with her secret despair that he just accidentally saw.

That was what she didn't want others to know about. Her vulnerability. Her self-doubt that he empathized with because he lived with it.

He fell in love with her tragic but pure history. They were both broken by their pasts involving the World Nobles.

He prepared himself realizing how hopelessly in love he was with her.

"You are beautiful you know that. Others would fall in love with you." He confessed to her and she looked at him in shock at that. She remembered he had called her ugly before. She wondered what changed his mind. He took a breath before continuing. "It's just that Luffy's not the type to look for physical appearance in a girl."

He mentally apologized to Nami before saying the next part.

"If you're that worried about Luffy not loving you, I'll help you become his dream girl."

At that moment, Hancock stopped in surprise. "Come again?" Did she hear wrong? She had asked him so many times and he always refused.

Yuuto smiled at her sorrowfully knowing he was hurting not only Nami but also himself.

He was giving himself up. Although he wanted to be the one to make Hancock happy, he knew that was impossible. She wouldn't ever love him as a Chaser and she would be happier with Luffy. He had seen her brilliant smiles whenever she thought of Luffy. He repeated what he said earlier. "I'll help you become Luffy's dream girl."

This was Yuuto's way of redemption to Hancock. Making a slave happy was the best way for him to properly forgive himself. The decision for him to help her win Luffy and ruin Nami's chances also showed how much he loved her.

He hoped that Nami wouldn't kill him for this if she found out.

Maybe he should give her a peace offering.

His face paled. He would have to give at least 1.5 billion berris to her. That was her "reasonable" amount. How many banks and ships was he going to have to steal from to get that money?

Don't forget something about her interest rate.

Hancock squealed happily, breaking his train of thought, which made him smile a little bit. It felt good to be the one who made her happy albeit temporarily. "Thank you Yuuto-sensei." She called him.

He didn't want her to call him that but accepted it. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll start training by myself. When you wake up, we can get started about Luffy."

Hancock was about to protest but then yawned. Salome also nodded as if that was a good idea. "I will." She then took another look at the sky remembering a Kuja tradition she heard when she was young. She stared at the moon to appreciate what the symbol of hope it brought to her culture. It had been a long time since she appreciated a full moon. "Wait. Let me look at the night sky more. The moon looks beautiful tonight."

It was a Kuja tradition to praise the full moon for its beauty for the next lunar cycle. Praising the moon for its beauty would bring in good luck.

"Good night" Yuuto called out before leaving the balcony.

He thought of two things as he left.

The moon was the second most beautiful thing he saw at the balcony.

Most importantly, he realized that Hancock was the same slave girl he had a crush on back when he was 9.

[2]

* * *

Day 157

"Luffy-kun! We're here!" Hancock shouted. "I brought your favorite meat!"

Yuuto sighed. Yuuto had warned Hancock not to be super obvious with her affection for Luffy. Make Luffy fall in love with who she was. Luffy wasn't a guy who liked being told what to do. He was like a kid who wanted to do the opposite of whatever you wanted him to do.

That had gone out the window when he saw her sit next to Luffy. Salome had also followed over.

Some things never change. He walked over to Rayleigh who looked curious. "There's something different about this." Rayleigh pointed out.

He sighed. "I can use Armament Haki about 54% of the time now with a bow." The past week, he improved on it.

Rayleigh nodded. "Has Hancock been helping with that?"

He paused with that unsure how to answer. "Yes." He left it at that. Ever since he realized his love for Hancock and started coaching her, he wondered if he was a masochist sometimes. It pained him a lot to do that.

Truth be told, he spent about 15% of his time teaching Hancock about Luffy. That was still a lot now that he was awake 21 hours a day.

As if on cue, Hancock was about to demonstrate what she learned from his class. "You know Luffy. I'm very adventurous and I care about my friends." She then batted her eyebrows at him. Yuuto shook his head; she was trying to flirt with him. "I'm also strong so I'm ready to face any dangers in our time together."

Yuuto smiled at what he had told her. Those were what he thought Luffy would look for in a woman.

Well there was one more thing too.

A loud burp echoed the forest.

No it wasn't a lack of manners.

"You know. This meat tastes better than last time. Did you make it Hammock?"

Yuuto sighed. Luffy needed to get her name right; that would be a sign that he considered her important. He told Hancock that was not a nickname for couples. Seeing her blush right now, he sighed knowing that she still thought it was a nickname.

Well, Hancock just had to lie to say she made it.

"No."

Yuuto raised his head in shock. That wasn't part of what they agreed with. "Yuuto-sensei did." Yuuto quickly gave a look at Hancock which she ignored.

Hancock couldn't lie to Luffy when he called her Hammock. She sighed dreamily.

Hancock remembered that Yuuto told her that Luffy's dream woman had to be able to cook lots and lots of meat.

Still to her, Luffy was the epitome of honesty. She couldn't lie to him.

She needed to be honest just as Luffy was honest.

Luffy gulped. "That makes sense. You know. I never called him Yuuto-sensei even though he tried teaching me Haki." He then gave a louder burp than before. "Rayleigh's a better teacher than you. You know that!"

Yuuto chuckled. Then again, Luffy was honest and blunt. Maybe Hancock was trying that too. She would win Luffy's heart fairly.

"What's he teaching you?" Luffy asked.

Hancock blushed and was about to answer. Yuuto quickly interrupted. "How to cook." They had stared at each other. He was mentally signaling to her it was kind of true. Hancock gave in to that.

Luffy then smiled. "That's great. I'm happy to know that you guys are getting along now."

"We're not dating Luffy!" Hancock quickly shouted while Yuuto turned away while shaking his head. He knew his face was little red hearing that denial.

As much as he would like that to happen, he had to remind himself of reality. He should teach Hancock more about man's culture while he's at it. She kept having these unnecessary mixed signals, and Luffy wasn't accusing them of anything. Yuuto kept quiet.

* * *

Day 162

Usopp had an idea. Maybe he could put one of the plants inside his new Kuro Kabuto.

He'd have a living trap inside his weapon. He smiled at the thought. He looked at the plants growing nearby.

"Heracles sensei?" He needed his expert opinion.

"Yes Usoppu." Heracles landed nearby.

"Which plant do you think would be best to live in my Kuro Kabuto? Easiest to control." Usopp wasn't being overly ambitious here. He didn't want to bite off more than he can chew.

"The Chomping grass. They just need water."

Usopp smiled. That would work best. He could use them to feed on nearby rocks to fire them.

"Any others?"

"Well I think you could also use that." Heracles pointed.

Usopp gulped. "I think I can use that." It was dangerous but could be used.

"Just make sure you separate the two." Usopp nodded. He would have to make another Kuro Kabuto.

Usopp couldn't wait to show his friends his new weapons.

* * *

Day 163

The last couple weeks, Mihawk had been dueling with Zoro, perfecting Zoro's sword techniques.

Zoro smiled when he saw Mihawk use an actual sword this time. It was a sign that he had gotten stronger from the time Mihawk used a dagger.

Still, he knew his place. Mihawk always beat him just right. Enough for him to stop training for the day but not too much that he couldn't train the next day.

"Zoro. We'll work on your Ittoryu for today." Mihawk drew out a sword.

Zoro nodded and only unsheathed his Wado Ichimonji.

They both stared at each other and planned the battle in their mind.

Simultaneously, they both slashed the air sending a projectile of compressed air at each other.

 **Yakkodori**

 **Kokuto Issen**

Mihawk's attack overpowered Zoro's attack but it gave enough time for Zoro to move out the way.

Mihawk anticipated the move and had aimed a faster but weaker Kokuto Issen where he was going.

Zoro took the cut while Mihawk rushed toward him. Zoro clashed his sword against him. Surprised by Mihawk's unusual aggressiveness.

Most of their duels Zoro was the one who was aggressive. Then again Mihawk seemed to be trying something new every time they fought.

"Focus Zoro." Zoro quickly had to dodge a downward stab from the air. He didn't notice Mihawk was in the air.

"Tch. You almost got me." Zoro panted out.

"If I didn't warn you."

They clashed again with Zoro parrying every slash.

After a some blocks, Mihawk pushed his sword forward against Zoro."Fix your right shoulder. That gives me an opening."

Mihawk then continued attacking to show where the opening was. Zoro stumbled. As he tried to get up, he felt Mihawk's sword by his neck. He felt the intent there. This was the closest that Mihawk threatened his life since they started training.

Mihawk sighed and lowered the sword. "Again."

Zoro could only smile, happy to go another round. They were to repeat this exercise until he got the correct posture or he actually got cut because of his carelessness.

* * *

Day 165

Hancock slammed the knife in frustration. Yuuto was slightly scared at her outburst and her handling the knife like that. That grip was best used to stab someone in the heart. He gulped. He was the only one close by that she might consider killing. He was sure he didn't piss her off. He couldn't remember the last time she was angry at him other than the fight they had in the beginning.

"I'll never be able to cook right for Luffy." She finally let out. She had messed up cutting beef and hadn't felt her cooking skills improved. She was trying a new recipe and thought she was making a mess.

Yuuto could only sigh noticing how her cute but frustrated pout.

Hancock was frustrated after tasting her own food. Yuuto noted that she wasn't a terrible cook. Her cutting skills had improved. The food presented looked nice; it just smelled bland not that he ever tasted it.

"You'll get it right." He comforted. He had watched the entire process not sure how she messed up. She followed his orders and put in the correct amount of seasoning. So why did the food smell like nothing?

"How do you know that?" She sounded like she was about to give up.

Yuuto had an answer prepared. "Are you Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress?"

"Yes." She meekly answered.

"Really. I don't think the World's Most Beautiful Woman, the future wife of the future Pirate King, would sound like that." Yuuto was playing a little bit to her pride.

"Yes!" She nodded affirmatively while straightening up to show confidence.

"That's right. The Hancock I know wouldn't give up." He said as she blushed at that. "Anyways. You're not alone. I'll be by your side helping you. We'll keep practicing until you win Luffy."

At that moment, Hancock turned red a little and asked. "What do you mean?" She wanted clarification on what that meant. She misunderstood too many things and Yuuto had helped her through that.

Yuuto answered again. It was hard for him to repeat it again. "Helping you until you win Luffy's heart."

Hancock paused for a moment before understanding what he meant.

"Good. Let's try this recipe instead." He pointed to another recipe in the cookbook. "Beef noodle soup. Soups typically end up being easier to make."

Encouraged, she started over. Yuuto would stay and watch to offer some pointers as well. After an hour, she finished making beef noodle soup. She motioned him to try it.

When Yuuto took a spoon out to taste it, he smiled; this was the first time he would actually taste her cooking. It had slightly more flavor than what he smelled previously. "It's better than I expected."

Immediately hearing that, Hancock was ecstatic. She quickly hugged him for a second, freezing him. She then let go and tasted the soup herself.

Meanwhile, Yuuto replayed that hug in his mind. That hug was just a friendly hug he reminded himself. He had just explained that hugs can be friendly yesterday. She remembered that. Friends could hug each other. She was just really happy about what he said.

Yuuto was trying to recompose himself. It was hard when he could remember that her boobs were soft pressing onto his body and she still smelled like lilies. He sighed.

If Hancock used her power on him, he was sure he would turn to stone now.

Speaking of that, he needed to hide or block her from seeing his lower body in case she knew. He quickly sat on a chair and crossed his legs.

After a couple moments, she said something bringing him back to reality. "It's not that good." She looked disappointed as if he had lied to her.

He wouldn't lie to her. Yuuto, trying to forget how she felt in his embrace, mumbled quietly. "It's better than what you made earlier. You're improving." He gave a weak laugh and refused to look at her thinking about anything to distract himself. He was embarrassed that he was acting how Hancock acted whenever she thought of Luffy.

Curse his body for acting that way.

He was unaware of Hancock's smile toward him at his encouragement.

* * *

Day 166

Yuuto woke up. "Damn it!" He whispered loudly. He was sure he had a slight nosebleed because of his dream.

He wanted to hit a dummy but didn't want to out of courtesy. It would be too loud. It was probably 4 AM. He looked at the clock. It was actually 2 AM.

He facepalmed; he only slept one hour. He wanted to go back to sleep but didn't want to. He was afraid of what he would dream next.

He cursed his body for reacting that way.

It remembered how Hancock's body felt and that had been part of his dream.

"Damn it!" He almost yelled that time. He needed to take a cold shower and think of a way to keep his body's urges in check.

* * *

Day 171

After 3 days of both heaven and hell for Yuuto, his prayers were finally answered. Hancock was called away on mandatory Shichibukai duty. This time, she couldn't bring Salome with her because Salome was sick.

So on the second day day when Hancock had left, even though Salome was trusted to other caregivers, Yuuto had come over to check up on Salome who had recovered from her illness.

Salome was surprised to see Yuuto. She figured out that Yuuto liked Hancock since their last visit to Luffy. It became more obvious that Yuuto wanted to mate with her with the hormones he constantly released. Pity, that Salome couldn't tell anyone. Not that anyone understood her if she tried. Hancock sometimes did but she got it wrong sometimes.

Salome hissed at Yuuto who had his hands up. She had nothing in common with Yuuto. Yuuto looked a little confused before thinking.

"To be honest, I don't know why I'm here."

Salome stared back as if to tell him to just leave.

"Alright fine. It's just because I missed her ok." Yuuto confessed even though he wanted her gone a couple days ago. Salome gave a blank look that she didn't believe him. "You won't tell her right?" He asked worriedly.

Salome gave a smirk. This made for some blackmail. She was also surprised Yuuto gave that away freely. While training, she had noticed how Yuuto was secretive from other humans. He always trained in a secluded area and used to wear a mask while training.

Wait. Was he letting his guard down because she was a snake? She suddenly hissed loudly. She had some pride.

"Alright. I get it. You don't like me very much." He sighed. That wasn't it. Salome was ok with him. "I just thought you might like some company like I do. I thought you might miss her too."

Salome softened hearing that. Yuuto came to see her because he thought she missed Hancock as well. This was the longest time she's been away from Hancock. Maybe, they did have something in common. Yuuto cared for her in a deeper way and sought her out because he understood her close relationship with Hancock.

She was Hancock's closest confidant after all.

"Sorry." He walked away. She quickly slithered and hissed loudly to stop him from going. He looked back. "Huh?" She caught up to him and blocked his way. She gave him a look analyzing him one more time. She slithered around him to get a 360° view of him. Yuuto could only ponder what was going on.

Could Salome trust this man? All the men Salome ever met except Luffy always seemed after Hancock for her looks. Was this man different?

Luffy passed her test seeing how dense he was. The fact that he could stretch and twirl his body like a snake was also kind of cool.

This man before her was different from what she was first told. He wasn't the scary vicious ruthless monster Hancock had described. She closed her eyes thinking about if anything he did was special.

She remembered how Luffy and Yuuto first heard about Hancock being a slave. Luffy didn't seem to understand it and blindly accepted her. That had healed her heart and caused her to fall in love with him.

What about Yuuto? Although Salome was tired that night, she remembered Yuuto, on the other hand, fully understood and accepted Hancock for who she was. Not only that but he said he would protect her without hesitation. To go against the World Nobles. She remembered the look on Hancock's face hearing that. It was a look of hope and happiness hearing that.

Most importantly, Yuuto supported Hancock's dream of falling in love.

Salome was sure she smelled Yuuto's hormones; he seemed to secrete more of them when he was with Hancock.

Humans are confusing. Why didn't they just act on their urges?

She opened her eyes and saw Yuuto still looking curiously at what she was doing.

She smiled at him which he felt a chill go through his bones.

Wouldn't he make a better mate than Luffy would?

"Am I ok to stay here?" He was unsure what was going on. The more he looked at her, the more he was intimidated by her.

She nodded. At least, this potential mate was a lot smarter and a lot less clueless.

"So. How do we talk? Do you want to walk around?"

Salome sighed. This was going to take a while. She was a snake; it was hard for her to "walk" around.

* * *

Day 172

Robin sighed. She was busy decoding some messages from Bourgeois Kingdom. Some revolutionaries had uncovered them from a town. They had come back too early because a Shichibukai was reported to be coming into that town. Rumors were that it was Boa Hancock coming.

The historian enjoyed the work given even though it was tedious sometimes. It seemed that the some members of Bourgeois Kingdom wanted to join the World Revolutionaries. A particular secret message she found reminded her about her crew.

She smiled remembering each one of them and what they had done for her. To fight the World Government just for her.

Never did she think they would change her this much. This was the first crew or organization that she actually missed. She had been missing them for the last couple months and was thankful to talk about them to Sabo and Koala about them. Everyone else was curious about Luffy.

Someone knocked on her door. "Robin! It's time for some Haki training."

"Coming Koala!" She told her.

As she packed her things, she touched her watch, before setting it away. She couldn't wait to meet with them again.

But first, she would learn how to utilize Haki. Then, she could help fight for them.

So far, she only honed her skills as a spy and her devil fruit powers.

* * *

Day 175

"You know. I'm surprised how well Salome gets along with you now." Hancock noted. "She lets you pet her."

Hancock had returned on this day and was trying out new clothes she had gotten.

Yuuto was unsure how he got in this situation.

Hancock had just come back and asked him for his opinion about what new clothes she should wear to show Luffy and grab his attention. Yuuto shook his head no, but Hancock was oblivious to the problem it showed.

He should have done the sensible thing and left while he was waiting. The only problem was every time he moved away, Salome would hiss at him causing Hancock to be worried for her.

He obediently waited, not moving outside behind curtains as Hancock was changing her outfits.

Did she have no sense of shame? Was this thing normal in her culture? This wasn't normal for him.

Again many would kill to be in this situation, but Yuuto was in hell because of his emotions.

He pretended to be focused on the martial art scroll he was reading. It was hard when his mind sometimes wandered to imagine how Hancock was temporarily naked behind the curtain.

"I don't know if we get along." He said. They had spent time together the last couple days. Salome would order him around and he just went with it. He looked at Salome who was guarding the curtain as if he would peak in (which he probably would if he didn't have as much self control). It seemed that Salome enjoyed making him squirm.

"Well she likes you. You know. She's the one who suggested that you come too. I thought about it and thought it was a good idea" He heard her voice from the curtain.

Yuuto looked confused as Salome nodded to confirm that. "How did you know that?" Yuuto asked over the curtain. He shook her head no. He gave a look to Salome as if to tell the snake that if she liked him she shouldn't have made him come. Was Salome trying to turn him to stone? Did Salome just treat him as some toy?

"I just do. Anyways I just had this idea that Luffy will pay more attention to me if I changed what I was wearing."

Yuuto admitted that would normally work. However, this was a terrible idea. Yuuto gulped as he was probably going to be turned to stone for once.

Salome thought this was a great idea. She was doing him a favor. Seeing that humans were not like snakes, maybe they were more like its relatives the lizards. Female lizards were attracted to male lizards pheromones.

This was the perfect opportunity for him to secrete plenty of pheromones. Maybe Hancock would be attracted his scent.

As Salome finished that thought, Hancock poked at her. Salome smiled at that. She was ready.

As the curtains were pulled back by Salome, Yuuto almost forgot to breathe. He covered his nose to make sure his nose wasn't bleeding.

It was a very provocative outfit. Her boots went all the way to her knees. Her thighs were completely exposed showcasing how long and pale they were. She was barely covering her torso only having a piece of underwear and a belt around her waist. He wanted to cover that up with hands. As he made his way up, he saw her exposed bellybutton at which he gulped. He then saw her shirt slightly exposing her breasts. They were held tantalizingly by a knot that was being asked to be untied so her chest could flow more freely. Her arms were bare showcasing how pale she was. To top it off, Hancock was wearing a standard pirate's hat with a normal jolly roger.

Yuuto could only stare in silence as Hancock asked him. "Well?" Salome smiled at the silence. It seemed that her plan was going great so far. He was definitely releasing more pheromones.

"I think it would look better in black or blue, but I don't think Luffy would like it." He answered truthfully. He didn't admit that he liked it though.

Hancock pouted. "But I like this one. I thought it makes me look adventurous." She twirled around for him to look at.

Yuuto tried not to twist what she said around and knew what she just did his body took a mental picture and video. He just knew that outfit was going to haunt him in his dreams. His daydreams were going to include that as a particular slideshow. His fantasies were going to become more lewd.

"Try a different one." Yuuto quickly crossed his legs. He hoped the next outfit wouldn't cause his mind to wander.

As soon as Hancock went back in the curtain, he tried to move from his seat to leave. Only to be stopped by a hissing sound pushing him to stay.

Yuuto glared at the snake trying to kill him. He was just grateful that Hancock hadn't used her mero mero power on him. That outfit for sure would have gotten him killed.

"What's wrong Salome?" He heard.

Damn that voice even sounded more attractive than normal. He thought of what to do to calm himself.

He breathed and tried to practice his katas. Maybe doing something physical would help him be ready for the next one.

After practicing his katas six consecutive times, the curtains rolled back and his mouth opened wide. He froze as if he was a stone statue.

Meanwhile, Salome wondered if it was normal for men to eat a fly. A fly just went in his mouth.

He gulped. Salome thought that answered her earlier question. Interesting. So man is more like a frog than a lizard. She would try to find out a frog's mating habits for next time if this way didn't work.

"You said try a black outfit." Hancock confessed. It seemed that this reaction was no good. She was poking her fingers tentatively.

"I didn't mean that. I meant the previous one would look better in black. I mean." Yuuto tried to correct himself and decided not to bother with it anymore. It was a trap no matter what he said. "Just try another one. How about something that doesn't show too much skin." Yuuto turned away not wanting to think about it. He wasn't sure whether he could take this anymore. Seeing so much of her flawless skin was doing a lot to his body.

Even when he closed his eyes, he could remember every detail of what she just wore. She had worn black leather shorts that showed off her thighs, a black leather corset (that he couldn't help but want to take off) with matching black leather boots that ran to her knees again. She looked like a dominatrix.

He didn't want that in his dreams too. He was going to sleep really well tonight or not sleep at all. What else was going to happen?

It took every ounce of his will power not to go behind the curtain right now and ravish her. Force his way on her.

It would be despicable of him to take advantage of a woman. Especially a slave considering his former position.

"So no swimsuits?" She asked while behind the curtain.

"No swimsuits." He almost yelled. If he saw a swimsuit, he would probably turn to stone without her using her powers. That was a miracle in itself that he hadn't turned to stone yet. "Something that covers most of your body." He almost couldn't take this anymore.

"90% of these outfits reveal skin then." She cried. "Should I throw them away then?"

"No!" Yuuto yelled. He mentally slapped his perverted side for saying that. "I mean. Keep them for Luffy." He recovered. His own body was betraying him.

"Why?" Hancock sounded confused. She thought Yuuto didn't like them.

"Just trust me on that." He let out truthfully. He was wondering how Luffy could not be attracted to Hancock one bit. He was a guy. All guys have these urges. ALL OF THEM.

He sighed at the prospect of never seeing her wear those outfits. He shook his head.

He wasn't sure how much he could function with only 3 hours of sleep and this ordeal he was going through.

It must be the three hours of sleep. He needed more sleep.

"Here's one." She finally found one before started to try it on.

Yuuto then prepared himself one more time.

This time, when she came out, he actually kept his calm and could approach her. It wasn't revealing. He walked around her.

She was wearing a simple white shirt, jeans, a black leather jacket, and black leather boots. She blushed at his inspection.

Yuuto thought that this was less revealing than the other outfits so that's why he could keep his composure this time around. Still, it was something he could appreciate.

He really liked this black leather jacket she was wearing. It made her look tough but at the same time maintained her elegant look.

Her shirt showed some cleavage and some skin particularly her bellybutton but not a lot. It didn't make him too crazy.

The jeans and the boots hid her perfect legs, but that was fine. Too much of Hancock's skin and he was going to go crazy.

"I think Luffy would like you wearing this one." He said truthfully. He wasn't 100% sure, but he knew he liked this outfit the best so far. He could actually be a normal human being around her.

She poked her fingers around happily at that compliment. "You think so." She finally found an outfit that met his approval.

"It's great. It's casual. Making it great for dates." Yuuto answered truthfully. Salome nodded encouragingly in the background. Yuuto wasn't sure that Luffy would like this outfit, but he knows he did.

She smiled at that and hugged him thankfully. "Thank you! I'll wear this when we go visit him."

Yuuto smiled back. Only to realize how her body felt along his body.

He then quickly realized something seeing that her body was probably the final blow to all the excitement his body received. "Sorry. I really need to go to the bathroom now." He rushed out before she noticed.

Hancock looked confused while Salome sighed.

This human wasn't as smart as she thought. She thought he would finally give in. Still, it seemed the human had a lot of self control and respect for Hancock.

Salome would put in a good word for him if Hancock talked to her again about her feelings [3].

* * *

Day 175

"Why do I feel like I missed a great peeping opportunity?" Sanji sobbed as he was being chased by okamas.

He mentally cried. Nami! Robin! How he missed them and their angelic voices.

And his crew members. He'd hate to admit it. Their voices weren't as annoying as the okamas.

The guys would never run after him like this.

Just as one okama caught him by surprise, he kicked him almost instinctively and continued running not wanting to stop.

As he continued running, he saw that there was a blockade of okamas waiting for him.

He frowned not wanting to skywalk because some of them had figured out the basics of skywalking. The more he showed it to them, the more they seemed to understanding how it worked.

He could only hope to beat them. As they leaped on him, he kicked them away noticing how his legs felt warmer than usual.

It was as if he was using Diable Jambe. This time, he didn't need to spin.

"Get back you dirty okamas!"

As he beat them and piles of okamas piled up, he sweated before seeing what was before him. His cigarette would have dropped.

Hordes of okamas were just waiting. There was also a giant okama.

"Damn this hell! Just how many okamas are there?" He yelled as he stared at them.

"Fuhahaha! What are you staring at? Do you have a crush on me?" The giant questioned.

"Like hell I do!" Sanji was a man who would always love the ladies. He gave a yell as he charged into battle.

* * *

Day 177

"Not now Luffy. You're disrupting my training." Zoro instinctively shouted. He had just started his fourth set of 1000 forward stabs.

"I'm not even Luffy. I only asked if you wanted to play with me." Perona slammed her feet in the air frustration.

Zoro didn't even pause or give a look. She had been bugging him. "No." He went back to training. "I don't have time to waste playing childish games." He knew it was Perona from her aura.

As she floated away, he maintained his focus. He had no time to waste if there were few people as strong as Mihawk. He needed to become the World's Strongest Swordsman.

It wasn't only just for his sake. It was also for Luffy's sake.

Still, he knew that if it was really Luffy and the crew who disrupted his training, he might have joined them. He missed them enough that he would stop training for a moment to spend time with them.

Hell, he'd put up with Swirly Brow Cook antics.

* * *

Day 182

Sure enough Hancock did wear the outfit Yuuto had advised to show to Luffy. It just went differently than planned.

Luffy made no comment about her outfit. It seemed that he didn't even notice Hancock changed outfits.

Just as Hancock was about to cry from disappointment, Luffy had tasted the new dish she decided to try out after Yuuto suggested it. Hainan chicken rice. It was the first time Luffy said that it tasted good.

When she said she cooked it, Luffy hugged her for the first time which shocked her and made her feel happy.

Yuuto could only silently glare briefly at his captain seeing him hug her. Hancock always had a special smile thinking about Luffy. He was jealous that it worked this time.

He mentally corrected himself. Envious.

He couldn't be jealous when he would never have Hancock's affection. He could only be envious over something he didn't have.

Rayleigh interrupted his thinking. "Have you considered yet?"

"What?" Yuuto asked as if he heard wrong. He hadn't been paying attention to what Rayleigh said.

Rayleigh sighed. He pretended not to notice that he ignored him. "Have you considered what to do if you can't use Armament Haki as your main fighting technique?" Yuuto still had trouble incorporating it with his martial arts.

Yuuto sighed. "At least, I can use it with weapons. I just have to become a better archer." Yuuto didn't know what to say. He could use Armament Haki about 84% of the time with a bow which was good enough. "It's a good thing this area has places for me to practice archery." Maybe the crew needed more long range fighters. It was really just Nami, Usopp, Robin, and Franky. Even then only Usopp could attack from a distance more than 200 meters.

Rayleigh smiled. "You know Hancock is the best archer around here. It's one of the reasons why she's the Empress." Yuuto groaned. He already spent enough time with her already. He probably spent more time with her than he did with some of his own crew members total if he tried calculating it. "You could ask her to teach you." It seemed that he was going to have to spend even more time with her after finishing the Haki training.

Just as he was about to protest, he caught her looking at his general direction. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Luffy was no longer hugging her. He couldn't read what she was thinking about, but she seemed lovestruck because she was looking past him.

It was probably Luffy who put her in that state.

He then smiled at her seeing her like that before focusing his conversation with Rayleigh.

"I guess." He would be happy to spend more time he could get with her before she eventually won Luffy's heart. He then engaged in a conversation with Rayleigh again.

Earlier, after Luffy finished hugging her, Hancock took a couple breaths. She didn't know what was going on with her.

She thought she would feel super dizzy like the last time Luffy hugged her back at Marineford. Her heart raced at 130 km/ hour backed then. This one that Luffy just gave was only at 90 km/hour.

Her heart was still racing but not as much as before. It was not the same as before.

She was slightly disappointed. She really enjoyed the high that previous hug gave.

Luffy then asked her. "Hancock, what's wrong?" She shook her head not knowing what to say.

"Nothing's wrong." She was happy to hear that Luffy asked her how she was doing.

Luffy gave a look that told her she didn't believe him. "Well. If you don't want to tell me, you could try telling Yuuto." He swallowed. "He's a good listener and he's smart."

Before Hancock could respond, she noticed her heart beat faster hearing Yuuto's name. It was just as fast as how she used to think of Luffy. Maybe faster.

That couldn't be right.

"We're not really dating!" She told him slightly angry though not as loud as she did before. Luffy hadn't heard her and went back to eating.

Just as she was about to deny it one more time to get his attention, she looked between the two.

Both of them made her heart race. It was hard to tell which one made her stomach feel like there were thousands of butterflies in her stomach.

How was this possible? She thought she could only love one person at a time. Was it possible to love two?

No. There had to be sorcery involved.

She looked at Luffy who was ignoring her. Right when she was about to say something, she looked at Yuuto.

Not long after, Yuuto looked back at her and smiled. Hancock felt that she was blushing at that.

Did Yuuto do something to her? She tried to remember when she felt this way and for how long.

* * *

Flashback Day 165

"I'll be by your side helping you. We'll keep practicing until you win Luffy."

"What do you mean?"

"Helping you until you win Luffy's heart."

Hancock paused for a moment before ****mis**** understanding what he meant.

Yuuto was going to be by her side so that he would look like her boyfriend. They'll keep practicing together. Maybe that would make Luffy jealous. She actually smiled at the thought.

Now Luffy would know how she felt when she heard about Nami and Robin.

She smiled at the thought realizing that she looked forward to the idea of Yuuto pretending to be her boyfriend.

She nodded as if she really understood him.

"Good. Let's try this recipe. Beef noodle soup. Soups typically end up being easier to make."

Encouraged, she tried again. She made sure she cut the beef delicately and the noodles were washed carefully. Yuuto had offered some pointers as she put the ingredients together. After an hour, it was done and she was slightly proud of what she had done. She motioned him to try it.

As he brought his spoon to taste, she couldn't help but feel her heart beat a little faster in anticipation. She was hoping that she would hear him say that it tasted delicious. That would mean a lot to her.

Her rational mind reminded her that it was just because Luffy would also say it was delicious.

When Yuuto took a spoon out to taste it, he smiled at her. She couldn't believe it; did she succeed? "It's better than I expected."

Inwardly screaming at hearing the good news, Hancock was excited. That was also good enough. She hugged him too happy about the improvement.

That hug felt like an eternity to her. It was enough time for her to realize that he had a well defined body underneath the baggy clothes he liked to wear. That hug made her feel both safe and warm. Just as she was about to smell him, she quickly let go realizing that behavior was not appropriate for someone of her stature. She didn't mention anything about it. Yuuto had mentioned to her that friends could give each other friendly hugs as well.

It was just a friendly hug. She meant it as friendly hug.

She quickly went to taste the soup herself. After a couple moments, she admitted. "It's not that good." It had some flavor to it. However, her body or the soup was too warm to properly enjoy it.

She looked at him and noticed they made eye contact. He broke it first and then replied. "Like I said it's better than I expected. You're improving." She was about to fire something back when she thought she heard a slight insult at her cooking skills.

She paused when she saw him act a little cute by not looking at her directly. She smiled at that and didn't notice that her heart made a different flutter compared to the ones she experienced before.

End Flashback

* * *

How could she have been so naive? This pretend boyfriend only served as a trap for her.

What was worse was she was comparing hugs between Yuuto and Luffy. Both first hugs were amazing. She couldn't remember whether Luffy's hug made her feel safe. Only warm.

But when did she even start having these feelings for Yuuto? Was it when he first touched her?

Then again, ever since he taught her how to use a knife, she realized how effective it was. She also didn't think of him any different back then. She was still annoyed at him but saw past that.

As she recalled how he held her hand gently as if he didn't want to hurt her, her heart now sped up recalling that touch.

It couldn't have been that. Her heart didn't pound like that at all back then and she was slightly angry at him back then. Was it when she asked him for his opinion about his clothes?

The reason why she let him watch the outfits she changed into was because she had read in a book that boyfriends were allowed to do that. It was also normal for the Kuja women to change in front of each other. She remembered how embarrassed she felt when Yuuto didn't like the first two outfits she wore. She actually liked those outfits,

She also remembered hugging him and smelling him at that moment. He smelled like grass and trees.

No wait. That event happened after she cooked for him. It seemed that she had already liked him back then.

So when did her affections first change?

Hancock was angry at herself. How could she let herself trust and even more dangerously fall for another man so easily?

That wouldn't be good to become Luffy's wife if she was unfaithful.

Yuuto mentioned how Luffy was always faithful to his friends and the ones who treated him nicely. Hancock sighed at that. It was one of the reasons she found herself loving Luffy more.

She would have to be careful around Yuuto. She didn't want to love someone else. Only Luffy.

Maybe she should read some books she got from those cities to understand these tumultuous feelings. [4]

* * *

[1]

I really wanted to keep the name that kind of sounded similar to Chopper and sounded big. I went with Crusher instead. If anyone has a better name, let me know. I'll gladly edit it.

[2]

This is something I hinted and planned for a long time. I first mentioned this crush back in chapter 1.

Whether Yuuto will end up with Hancock or how it happens. Read and find out.

[3] Ladies and gentlemen, we've heard of wingman.

But have you ever heard of the wingsnake!

Joking aside, I am tempted to write a bunch of silly light hearted one shots where Salome is actually trying to help these two get together. That's a slight AU.

That would make the story longer and take too long. I would also have to change the story's genre as romance. I need to get back to the main plot which will start again in Chapter 39 (I'm planning that as the chapter the Strawhats reunite).

If you're wondering which outfits Boa Hancock is wearing, they're based off the figurines.

The first one is Flag Diamond ship Banopresto

The second one is Flag Diamond Ship Code B.

The third one is Jean Freak.

[4]

I hope I made it believable enough that Hancock actually starts crushing on someone else as well.

I think if the Kuja was exposed to the outside world, that would have been helpful.

That's one of Hancock's gags misunderstanding the situation. Yeah it's a stretch, but I kind of like the idea I had.

Keep in mind that Yuuto is ****actually seriously**** training during this entire time. He's awake for 21 hours a day now starting Day 152. He will be both a martial artist and archer; I just felt that he needed a farther range attack.

[5] If you noticed and remembered, the watches that I mentioned for Chopper, Nami, and Robin, were the watches that Franky made for their communication device.

Please leave a review about what you guys liked or enjoyed or any theories you think I'll be going with some of the crew members.


	37. Chapter 37 2 Year Timeskip Part 4

Disclaimer : Nope I don't own One Piece or chapter 938

Thanks for the follows and favs!

I do appreciate feedback more! Just to know how my story should improve.

Two Year Timeskip Part 4

* * *

Day 183

Yuuto was at the clearing waiting for Hancock to show up. She was going to train him in archery today. He was looking forward to her training regimen with a bow. Her sisters had praised her ability for the bow a lot while Hancock didn't say anything lost in thought. He was kind of curious to see how she would look while she was using her bow.

Was it going to be a look of ease or disinterest?

He knew he could already aim and have the correct posture. It was just that he needed to fire and aim faster. He wasn't blessed with Usopp's natural talent but felt he had worked hard to get to a respectable level. He was sure he could hone his skills to the next level. It just mattered how fast he could do it.

He felt an unfamiliar presence approach him.

"You are the man called Yuuto correct?" He heard a feminine voice and turned. He squinted to see a long blue haired woman wearing typical Amazon attire exposing her chest. She was also dark skinned and had chocolate colored eyes. He gazed at her never really seeing her around. Most of the women in the island stayed around 25 feet away from him.

Yuuto liked the lack of attention. It was better that way to keep focus. He was sure that there were plenty of attractive women on this island to distract him.

Just like this one was.

He shook his head not wanting to be distracted. This one wasn't his type though. He had a preference for long black haired and tall woman.

Realizing that he was taking longer to respond and that it would have been interrupted as leering at her (in normal society), he quickly responded. "Yes."

She laughed, and he had to admit that she had a nice sounding laugh like bells. "So man reply very slowly." He looked at her confused. She looked at her as if annoyed. "You seem slow. Did Hebihime not tell you?" There was a sense of animosity in that voice.

Tell him what. He shook his head.

She sighed wondering why she accepted this. Then again, she, like all the woman on the island, was curious about this man. "My name is Delphine. I will be training you in the way of kyudo." Yuuto was a little crestfallen hearing that realizing Hancock was too busy. He shook himself. It was probably better that way for him to focus. "Do not expect me to go easy on you." He nodded ready to focus on training.

He couldn't be distracted over his feelings.

* * *

Yesterday

Hancock had been discussing with her sisters, Elder Nyon and Salome about what to do.

Salome and Nyon were facepalming. Well Salome would if she had hands. It seemed obvious what to do. Mate with him.

Nyon sighed. "Please explain." It seemed that Hancock had fallen in love with two people at the same time. This never happened in the history of all the Empresses.

"I'm serious. Yuuto must have cast a love spell or given me a potion distracting me from loving Luffy." Hancock paused. She didn't care at all that he was a former Chaser. That didn't matter to her. Maybe it was the food she ate with him.

What really mattered was her feelings for her first love Luffy.

Marigold asked. "Can men do that?"

Sandersonia asked a valid question. "How come only Hancock is affected? Why are we not affected?"

Nyon sighed. "Men cannot cast love spells." She spoke with experience. "It's not a love potion. He cooks using the same ingredients that you use right?" She continued. Hancock nodded at that. She elaborated. "Then, he should be under the same effects as well?"

Hancock blushed at the possibility of Yuuto having feelings for her. "No. That can't be it." She played with her fingers. "He's not in love with me." She said the last point disappointedly; she couldn't remember whether Yuuto talked about his feelings. It was just that he was pretending to be her boyfriend to make Luffy jealous.

No one heard Salome sigh at that. And they said animals are dumb.

"Well, you have to do something?" Nyon offered.

"Then what do you suppose I do?" Hancock inquired of her. She was desperate.

"Choose one over the other." Nyon said simply.

"I choose Luffy of course." Hancock said without a moment's hesitation. Even though her heart beat as if confused, her rational mind was sure she wasn't in love with Yuuto. After consulting the book, it seemed that to get rid of a fake boyfriend would be to dump him.

However, the book also explained dumping a boyfriend would cause the boyfriend to be depressed and break his heart. She couldn't imagine doing that to him.

It would have been easier to do that to Yuuto when they first met. But she wasn't that person anymore.

"What should we do? Should we send him away?" Marigold offered.

Hancock nodded as if she approved that idea. That seemed a better alternative. However, her heart began to hurt at that idea. It felt like a familiar pain.

Nyon refused. It was too risky. What if lovesickness happened again? "No. We shouldn't. We have to train him. We still got more than a year and a half left."

"Can we send someone else to train him?" Hancock whined. "I don't want him to influence me anymore." Her mind and heart were confusing her.

"That's fine. You can avoid him." Nyon said.

Sandersonia offered. "I'll train him in my sister's place. I'm one of the best archers here."

Hancock didn't like that idea. "No. I don't want him trapping you as well." She thought carefully. Who was someone could train Yuuto? Who was someone she didn't care about in case that person fell in the same trap? She smiled when she remembered. "I have someone in mind." It was one of her bitter rivals who could have become Queen of the Amazons. "Delphine."

Marigold and Sandesonia both nodded at that. She was a fearsome warrior. Her reputation as one of the most beautiful women in the land was only exceeded by her skill as an archer. She always continued training that skill. The two other sisters didn't voice it, but she could be a better archer than Hancock right now. Hancock had practiced archery less.

Salome smiled as she had a feeling what Hancock was trying to do. There was a slight problem with Hancock's plan.

* * *

Day 187

Hancock had not talked with her 'practice' boyfriend the last four days. She didn't even ask him to teach her about Luffy anymore. She purposely avoided Yuuto whenever she saw him. However, that didn't mean she didn't think about Yuuto when she was alone.

Whenever her mind was led astray by him, she focused back on Luffy and his charming smile and how he trained his elbow and shoulder strikes on a tree.

She mentally slapped herself. That was how Yuuto practiced Bajiquan, a style similar to her Piguaquan.

She quickly thought of a defining characteristic of Luffy. Like how Luffy ate.

She sighed. It was cute to see Luffy eat without any manners. If only Luffy could pay attention to her.

Hancock went outside to the balcony for a breath of fresh air and plotted how she would make Luffy become her real boyfriend.

It was hard because she felt that her relationship with Luffy did improve when Yuuto was helping her. Now, she resolved to do this by herself.

She thought to herself. Shouldn't boyfriends check up on their girlfriends? They hadn't talked at all the last four days.

She shook her head. If Yuuto did that, that would only complicate her affections more.

She could figure this out herself. She could learn about love without him.

She then looked over down and saw Delphine training Yuuto. Even though she had been avoiding him, she felt compelled to stay and watch the progress they both had.

Maybe Delphine was under his spell now.

With eyes closed, Yuuto had been facing his back toward 2 targets spread around the clearing wherever Delphine had set up. He opened his eyes and suddenly turned around. He quickly fired in the span of two seconds. The arrows hit each target in the center. Delphine threw a disk in the air which Yuuto promptly fired at also hitting the target.

Hancock smiled and marveled at the skill shown. She didn't expect that. He had improved from what she had last saw him. It wasn't enough to beat her.

Maybe she should challenge him just to make sure.

She reminded herself that would be useful for Luffy. Yuuto would improve facing a challenge.

Just as she was about to leave, she saw something.

Delphine was smiling at Yuuto and was too close (in her opinion) to him.

What made it worse was how Yuuto gave a smile at Delphine before bowing before her.

Hancock gripped the railing so hard until she heard a small crack. She immediately let go of the railing confused. She checked where the sound came from. There was a small crack on the railing that wasn't there before.

She stood perplexed. What happened? What was this feeling? Did she do that?

* * *

Day 188

Hancock was in the library, reading all of man's culture from the books she had from the outside world. She had to find out what she was feeling. She dismissed the words jealousy and envy. She was sure that she was not really in love with Yuuto. However, she found out what was the reason this sudden infatuation she had for Yuuto.

According to one book she found, saying the moon is beautiful to a man was another way of saying I love you. She remembered saying that to him on the night after her nightmare. When she showed him her vulnerable side.

Here Hancock was admiring the moon because of the traditions she heard when she was young. In Amazon Lily, full moons were beautiful because you could reflect how far you have grown since the last full moon. It was a symbol of hope and a custom to pray to the moon for the next lunar cycle wishing good fortune for your life.

Now, there was this new secondary meaning that must have been around for thousands of years.

She couldn't believe how naive she was not knowing this. She trapped herself. That must have been when it first started.

She didn't mean to cause herself this trouble. She was angry and scared that night when Yuuto caught her. To show her vulnerable side, her real side.

Yet, as she replayed the event, Yuuto never made fun of her for it. He silently acknowledged it and comforted her as if it didn't exist. Yuuto was helping her emotionally and she was grateful for Yuuto's encouragement. She didn't blow up at him like she would have before.

The look in his eyes that night showed he understood her.

The way he touched her was a source of warmth and comfort.

Her heart seemed to beat even faster recalling that night.

And then her rationale came again. Reminding her about Luffy. Luffy accepted her first.

Her irrational part answered that Luffy didn't understand her the way Yuuto did.

Hearing that voice for the first time in her mind scared her. She needed to continue reading the book for ways to undo this curse fast.

"Hebihime? You wanted to see me?" She looked and saw Delphine. That interrupted her concentration.

"Yes, Delphine." Hancock remembered how much Delphine envied her position and always annoyingly challenged her. Unfortunately Hancock had to be as cordial as possible. Making sure there was no animosity in her voice, she primly asked. "How is your training with the man Yuuto?" She gave her a cold stare.

Delphine gulped and turned a little red. Hancock wasn't happy about that. It seemed that she had a rival for Yuuto's affections.

Wait a minute. She didn't really love Yuuto. She reminded herself.

"It's going great." Delphine stammered out truthfully feeling the pressure of her stare. Delphine turned a little red as if caught by someone having a crush.

Ugh. Hancock wasn't sure how to feel hearing that.

"He's improved a lot. I'm happy that I was able to teach him." Hancock looked colder at that. Delphine nervously stammered. "I mean. He was the first man I ever ..." She froze a little at Hancock's stare.

"What?" She barked out. Reading some of those books had given her a few ideas. She felt angry hearing that. When did they kiss?

She wasn't sure if she was angry because Luffy or Yuuto hadn't kissed her yet.

"First man I ever met and talked to." Delphine let out timidly. She knew her place here.

"Oh." Hancock paused with some relief. Right, Delphine didn't know about kissing. The Kuja culture had no idea what kissing was. When Hancock had first seen it in the books, she didn't think it was interesting until she read that was one way how couples showed affections for each other. Only couples kissed. She became more curious about Luffy's lips after that. "Is that all?" She asked.

She then started imagining Yuuto's lips and compared the two.

Delphine looked at her. She recomposed herself and nodded. "Yes. Hebihime." This was the most they had talked since they last dueled 3 years ago.

"What do you think of him?" Hancock called out, focusing back on her conversation and not on lips.

"He's kind and diligent." Delphine pointed out. "Not like the stories they told all of us about man. He's different from Luffy. He's too serious." Delphine said the last part as if it was a flaw.

That wasn't a bad thing Hancock mentally defended. Hancock was expecting more. After a long pause, Hancock was becoming annoyed at the lack of description. "That's it?" There was more to Yuuto than she described.

This girl didn't know how sweet and charming he was. Yuuto would say the right things to say to encourage her. The way his eyes would shine whenever he explained to her about how Luffy's mind works. It really showed how perceptive he was. The way he looked at her every time she felt insecure and afraid to reassure her.

This girl didn't know how much strength radiated from his body when you hugged it. It only made her feel stronger.

Hancock shook her head, remembering what her original goal was. Delphine nodded to confirm. "That's it." Nothing more.

Breathing in, Hancock thought of another question to interrogate her. Oh yeah one question came to mind. "Why were you so close to him yesterday?" She looked as if she could kill her with her gaze.

Delphine gulped. "What do you mean? I was always outside the 20 feet radius."

"You were within 10 feet when you were testing him." Hancock remembered yesterday when Yuuto approached her while she stayed in place.

Delphine looked afraid. "Oh. No. I forgot. I might have caught the infectious disease he has. I'm already infected." She started to cry.

Hancock was about to smile but realized that it was not the same sickness they were thinking of. Seeing Delphine's frantic state, she sighed. "No. You didn't catch it." She was sure of it. That's not how she acted when she found out she had the disease. The disease was a curse but also made her happy.

"How do you know?"

"Just trust me." Hancock reassured her one more time.

"Phew!" Delphine paused. "Hey! That means he's cured. You know. a lot of the women are curious about him."

Hearing that struck a chord in Hancock. "No. That's a bad idea." She said too quickly.

Delphine asked. "But why?"

Hancock gasped and stuttered not wanting to properly explain that. Especially when she wasn't sure of the reason herself. "N-Nevermind that." She paused before asking. "Do you think he's cute?" She didn't know why she asked that. His facial expressions were cute.

Luffy's facial expressions were cuter chimed in her rational side.

Delphine paused and blushed. She shook her head. "He's not cute." She then blushed a little. "You're cuter." She said too quickly.

Wait what? Hancock looked at Delphine confused.

Salome who had been nearby looking through the pictures of the book to help Hancock could only shake her head.

After her archery skills and beauty, the third thing Delphine was known for was that she was one of Hancock's famous fan girls. That's why Salome knew her plan wasn't going to work.

Delphine nodded. "It's true." She blushed before adding. "Yuuto thinks so as well."

Hancock could only blush at that. Did that mean-?

"Say. Do you think you could-?" Delphine took a chance to challenge her again. She wanted to impress Hebihime. That's why Delphine had practiced until she was sure she could beat her.

Hancok interrupted not wanting to hear what she had to ask. "Leave. I'll oversee his training from now." Maybe she should spend time with him.

Her rational mind spoke up again about Luffy.

"Yes Hebihime!" Delphine said with hearts in her eyes. She was happy to be of use to her. Maybe there would be another time to challenge her some other time.

Hancock sighed. She did not see that coming. She then massaged her eyebrows wondering what to do next. [1]

* * *

Day 194

Franky smiled at his two new projects he had finished planning out.

He could only look forward to the astonished faces of everyone when he unveiled them this project. Everyone, even Nami and Robin who didn't appreciate robots or vehicles, was going to be impressed.

This would help Luffy become Pirate King.

He smile even broader at the super vehicles he had planned out. These two vehicles he planned out would have a special purpose.

One vehicle had a drill ready to dig for treasure and could withstand hot temperatures. It also had a metal detector to see if there was surrounding metal around it. It could carry up to 20 tons worth of whatever they found and had plenty of cargo space

Franky smiled predicting how Nami's eyes would turn to beri signs hearing that it's perfect for treasure hunting.

The same vehicle could also be used to excavate ruins to help Robin look for her Poneglyphs.

The archaeologist would smile with her eyes closed. That's how Franky would know she would appreciate the gesture.

The other one was another submarine built to withstand pressure deep in the water. That one was equipped with a radar. It also served as an extra ship to help the Thousand Sunny fight any marine and pirate ships with the torpedoes it equipped. It also came equipped with arms in case it needed to grab treasure under water.

The good news is that the Thousand Sunny had plenty of room for these two other vehicles and General Franky. He would think of a way to consolidate space later.

This was going to be the last vehicle project. That should be enough to take care of Luffy's dreams of adventure. He looked at the next computer that held Vegapunk's weapon designs. He grinned in eager anticipation remembering some of the things he looked through. His crew was going to need as much fire power they could get to fulfill Luffy's dream.

He wondered if there was some for Devil Fruit users. They were bound to see so many Devil Fruit Users in the New World.

Seawater missiles. Seawater cannons. That could slow them down. If only there was a way to get or steal seastone from the marines.

Maybe he could upgrade some of his crew's technology and weapons as well.

Still, he needed to get started on the vehicles.

* * *

Day 203

Zoro had finished sparring with Mihawk. Mihawk was using his Yoru now.

Even still, as he laid on the ground, he could tell that Mihawk was still holding back.

Zoro laid on his back, replaying the duel in his mind. They worked on Ittoryu techniques.

They were evenly matched in the beginning.

This is his dream. To beat the World's Strongest Swordsman and claim that title.

After a couple more clashes, Mihawk then kicked it up a notch until Zoro couldn't keep parry his strikes anymore.

The scary thing was how casually Mihawk admitted that there were a few others stronger than him giving him time to reflect.

This was what the New World had to offer.

He could only hope whoever his crew was training with. They weren't fooling around and wasting time.

The New World had these monsters out there. It wasn't just the Shichibukai; it was the Yonko and their commanders as Mihawk mentioned to him. The Pirate King's crew had to be special enough to fight them.

He smiled at the thought. Luffy, Nami, Yuuto, Chopper, and Robin weren't the types to fool around. They would be working hard at honing their skills. Everyone else would fool around a little bit.

He could only shake his head at what Usopp and Swirly Brow were possibly doing. Franky and Brook were probably goofing off a little.

Still, he knew his crew was dependable.

* * *

Day 204

Kilik had gotten hold of Haredas and scheduled a surprise visit. He was going to test Nami. A warrior always had to be ready to fight at any moment.

"Are you ready for this?" Kilik challenged Nami. He wanted to see how much she practiced the Ling-Sheng Su.

Nami nodded although already expecting the outcome.

Both Nami and Kilik bowed before each other.

Kilik took out his staff, Kali-Yuga, and took his normal fighting stance.

Nami readied her Climatact and mirrored his stance. She wasn't allowed to use any of her Climatact abilities.

Kilik rushed forward to her, planning to strike her shoulder. Nami knew which move he was going to do. She dodged needed to be careful of the third upward strike.

The third strike never came only for him to side step closer to Nami.

Because of the close proximity, Nami struck him with her staff and then back with her elbow slightly pushing him away.

Kilik smiled. "Good execution of the Raging Phoenix." He then tripped her. "But you lack focus."

On the floor, Nami immediately blocked his downward smash and pushed his staff upward. She then rolled away. "You were saying?"

Kilik didn't say anything and charged toward her. Nami then tried to thrust Kilik away, stabbing her Climatact forward.

She missed, not hitting him or his staff. Kilik had gotten on top of his staff and then kicked downward her, sending her a couple feet away.

As Nami got up, she pointed out. "I still have trouble doing Heaven Monument."

"The control is in the wrists." He demonstrated one more time. "Also when you get up on top of your staff, you also have to quickly poke otherwise gravity will cause you to fall down quicker." He then leaped off his staff.

Nami stood ready to continue fighting.

"That's enough for today." Kilik pointed out. He was in better shape than she was. Nami relaxed and took a couple breaths. "It looks like you need to train some more." Nami pouted hearing that. She had also been studying the weather as well and how to incorporate her Climatact's natural abilities in her bojutsu style. "Don't lose sight of what is important." He reprimanded her as if she had forgotten.

She was training for her crew. She never forgot. Nami had her head down as if annoyed hearing that.

It implied she wasn't strong enough.

"Still," She looked up. "I'm sure if you were allowed to use your Climatact's full power it would be a different." Kilik encouraged her.

"Tomorrow, you could fight me with some of your Climatact's power."

Nami raised her fist in the air. She was sure she had a better chance of winning.

"But for the time being, show me your Heaven Monument." Nami sighed realizing the workout she was about to receive. Kilik was a harsh master. [2]

* * *

Day 205

Robin was blocking Koala's attacks.

"Very good. You're improving." Koala had been only attacking around Robin's upper body. They had been going at this for ten minutes and Robin was starting to sweat a little bit.

Robin didn't bother saying anything; she didn't want to lose her concentration.

"Is it ok we change it a little bit?" Koala asked.

Robin nodded as she continued deflecting the younger woman's attacks.

At that moment, Koala smirked and tripped Robin.

Only for Robin to disappear and become flowers.

"Hey Robin, how hard is it for you to maintain focus as two different people?" Koala asked behind her.

The real Robin was sitting behind on a rock translating one of the Poneglyphs that the Revolutionaries found. She looked up breathing a little tired. "I am getting a lot better at it. I can remember your attacks. This time, you tripped me." Her real body started developing some small bruises but nothing too serious. "I'm lucky that I can get some fighting experience as well."

"Well, seeing that you lasted for ten minutes, I thought maybe I should try a different approach. Again?" Koala appreciated a living dummy that would try and block her attacks. It made her change her attacks from particular motions.

Robin nodded and formed another Robin clone. [3]

* * *

Day 206

The last two weeks had been rough for Hancock. Apparently, word broke out about Yuuto's condition and that he was completely healed from his disease. More and more women started coming into the castle just to see or talk to him. They would approach him but most stayed outside 10 feet away from him. In her opinion, some women who were bold talked to him while they were 5 feet away from him.

She was thankful that he asked the women to stay away so he could focus on his Bajiquan and archery training.

Groaning out loud, she wondered how could she plan to win Luffy's heart if she was distracted by these fake feelings she had for Yuuto? Especially when it became more complicated just by seeing more women talk to Yuuto.

Hancock was busier this time. She had less time to resume Armament Haki training with Yuuto privately. Most importantly, she didn't have any time to ask Yuuto for a lesson. If Yuuto mentioned it, she would embarrassedly turn away from him and decline because of her duties.

She wasn't sure any more about the last part. She didn't know anymore whether that time was just so she could spend time with Yuuto or win Luffy's heart.

Her mind said one thing but her heart said another.

At least now she and Yuuto were going to see Luffy.

She was sure seeing her true beloved's face would be worth what she just went through. It would put her at peace. It would remind her of what her priorities should be.

Luffy. Luffy. Kuja. Luffy.

As soon as she saw him, she smiled. Luffy gladly took the meat she cooked for him and began eating.

"Luffy. How are you?" She asked. Luffy didn't respond focused on inhaling the meal. He was really hungry.

Undeterred, she asked in a quieter and shy voice. "I hope you like what I made you." She only saw him happily eating and ignoring her. The lack of manners were starting to annoy her.

She pouted at that and decided just to give him some space. She sat there quietly and watched Luffy eat.

Yuuto, watching the exchange, was uncharacteristically angry at Luffy for ignoring her.

He didn't spend much time with her the last month outside of training. It made sense why now.

She was silently angry at Yuuto for not automatically winning Luffy's heart last time. She had run out of patience. This last month didn't count because they didn't have lessons together. It was why she didn't ask for any lessons.

He mentally slapped himself for not realizing it sooner. It bugged him why she always avoided him outside of training. It explained why she turned red with anger whenever he asked about the lessons. She turned away not wanting to look at him and always mentioned about her duties to her people. She was so angry at him that she didn't want to look at him.

It really did make him angry that Luffy could spend time with her freely. Luffy didn't realize how lucky he was to spend time with her.

"Hey Luffy. Let's spar." He hoped he could knock some sense into him. Hancock was surprised to hear that. All of these trips, they never actually spared against one another. In fact, Hancock never spared against Yuuto. She had seen him practice his martial arts particularly Bajiquan.

"Shishi. That sounds fun." Luffy, who finished his meal, nodded at that. Thanks Hancock for making the meal! It's a lot better than before."

Hancock didn't hear him, lost in her thoughts about this upcoming battle between the two. She couldn't help but feel excited as if like they were fighting for her.

Maybe the one who won would really be her true love. That would put her mind to rest.

Rayleigh looked them and smiled at the idea of the fight. "It's been almost 7 months now. Let's see how far you two have gone." He would be the referee.

Hancock forced herself to cheer, following what her mind said. "Luffy. You can beat him!" They were hollow words as she said that. At that moment, Yuuto looked at her a little sad which broke her heart.

Why did she feel that?

That moment of unawareness was what Luffy needed to punch Yuuto in the head. Yuuto held his head in pain. Hancock looked in shock. Rayleigh looked surprised.

"You/We didn't even say start yet!" Yuuto, Hancock, and Rayleigh yelled at the same time.

"Shishi! Sorry." Luffy said. "I forgot." Hancock uncharacteristically scowled at Luffy a little bit before remembering who it was. She was shocked how could she look at Luffy with such an angry look.

Yuuto had some trouble walking which Rayleigh noticed. He asked, "How about you guys spar next time?" Hancock nodded, silently agreeing with that. Yuuto had gotten hurt and it was her fault somehow.

She didn't like the idea of them fighting anymore. Particularly Yuuto.

Yuuto held his head and shook. "I'll be fine. Remember I heal fast." He then did some stretches as he warmed up.

Hancock feeling guilty asked. "Are you sure?" She was going to be quiet during the entire fight and not cheer for either of them. Until the answer was clear.

Yuuto nodded feeling a little bit better now that Hancock asked about him. "Yeah." That was the first time this month she actually asked about him.

Luffy then saw Yuuto put on his gloves and gulped. "I was going to offer you a free hit, but I remember those gloves."

Yuuto laughed. "I never leave without them. You're going to need more than that to beat me." He waved his fingers before pushing his elbow and arm forward. "Ready?" He was ready to demonstrate Bajiquan on his captain

Luffy took another stance. "Ready."

Rayleigh nodded. "Start!"

Luffy jumped forward only to be met with Yuuto slamming his fist in his face. Yuuto smirked. He had the upper hand in speed.

If he had fought earlier, he would have lost easier, but that punch brought him back to reality. He couldn't get so easily side tracked. Especially when he should have expected Hancock to cheer for Luffy.

Hancock looked surprised. Yuuto was faster than she expected.

Luffy smiled and went to Gear 2 and tried punching Yuuto who dodged every attack.

 **Jet Gatling.**

"You're still too slow Luffy." Yuuto sidestepped every attack, gauging his speed.

After five punches, he then grabbed Luffy's punches and used his own shoulder to push him to the ground.

 **Kyoko**

Luffy quickly recovered, not really hurt by it. "You're lucky you have your gloves. If you didn't have them, you'd have a harder time actually hurting me."

"True."

Luffy stopped attacking for a bit wanting to see what Yuuto could do. Yuuto obliged his captain. Yuuto unleashed his barrage of strikes.

"Your observation Haki is a lot better." Yuuto was testing him as he continued. "The you before would have taken all the hits."

"Thanks. You're faster as well." Yuuto only smirked at his captain's response. Luffy hadn't seen anything yet.

He then changed the speed of his punches, elbows, and shoulder strikes. Luffy suddenly got punched by in the stomach before being elbowed away.

Luffy hit a rock and wiped his mouth. "Tch." He thought about it. "You made me get used to your slower speed on purpose. Then when you went to your original speed, I thought I was matching that slower speed."

Yuuto gave a knowing smirk showing him that he was right.

Luffy bit his thumb and blew air. "Let's see if you can handle this."

Yuuto smiled. He should have no problem dodging his Gear 3. Luffy didn't exactly know how to hold back.

Elephant Bazooka.

Just as Luffy punched, Yuuto was about to dodge at the last second before he realized that where Luffy aimed Hancock was directly behind that.

Even though Hancock was far from the battle, Luffy's punch could reach her.

Without thinking, he used his both fists to punch back. The force between the two pushed both of them. Luffy merely lost his balance and stumbled a little while Yuuto flew back due to the larger force he experienced.

Bracing himself for impact of whatever he hit, Yuuto was surprised when he felt that he was caught by someone grabbing onto his shirt. He looked up and felt embarrassed as they landed on the ground.

It was Hancock.

He forgot she was stronger than him and could take care of herself.

Rayleigh had watched all of it and predicted what was going to happen if the match continued. Yuuto was only going to get hurt even worse. "Enough! This match is over. Luffy wins." Rayleigh declared.

Yuuto groaned knowing he was going to feel that in the morning.

* * *

Day 207

Yuuto woke up feeling a little sore. Taking Luffy's punch head on was not a good idea. He looked at the clock and realized it was 10:35 AM.

For the first time, in a long time, he woke up past 9 AM. He had been sleeping at 2 AM – 5 AM.

He tried moving around. Some parts of his body felt sore, particularly his hips and elbows, but he could still move. This was the most damage he received in a long time.

He was sure that whatever those government scientists did, he wouldn't have healed this quickly.

His bedroom door suddenly opened and Hancock looked in. "Yuuto. Are you -?" She looked and started blushing. She immediately closed the door. Yuuto hurried and put a shirt on.

Before Yuuto could even feel happy about her reaction, Yuuto sighed reminding himself that Hancock was in love with Luffy not him. She was just embarrassed after Yuuto explained about man and woman's modesty the other time. "Sorry about that. I just woke up." He called out.

He couldn't have this thought of Hancock possibly falling in love with him. Slaves hated Chasers. Besides, she was angry at him.

He opened the door and saw Hancock with medical supplies spread around the floor. He looked around curiously and tried to not to get his hopes up. She looked down and played with her fingers cutely. He smiled at that. She was probably thinking of Luffy and probably wished it was him that she could nurse.

"I wanted to see if you were feeling better. That punch would have hurt a lot of people." She said as if to explain why she was looking after him. Her eyes looked at the floor while she kept herself calm and tried to think of Luffy. No matter what she tried, Yuuto's face would come right back as if to haunt her.

Yuuto raised his eyes at her cute gesture and calmed himself. He was getting his hopes up that maybe her feelings changed; he mentally reminded himself that Hancock was crazily in love with Luffy. "As you can see, I heal fast. Thanks though." He was grateful for the thought that she came by with medicine.

"Is that a man thing? Luffy seems to heal fast too." She pondered out loud.

"Only certain people heal fast." He walked and picked up some of the medicine she brought. "I'm fine. Let me help you bring this back where it belongs."

Hancock blushed and thanked him. He was always helpful. Even though she could do it all by herself.

Yuuto replied. "I really do appreciate this gesture." They both walked quietly along. Each taking secret gazes at each other as they walked along. Yuuto didn't want to talk because it seemed that she was still angry.

Realizing the awkward silence, Hancock spoke up. "Why did you?" She paused unsure what to say

"What?" Yuuto didn't want her to know that he initially started fighting Luffy because of the way he treated her.

Luffy didn't know how lucky he was to have her full attention.

"You could have dodged it." She noted. She had been watching the fight and noticed that Yuuto could have easily dodged the attack. She remembered it seemed that he purposely jumped in front of it.

Yuuto didn't know how to explain that. He didn't register that she paid attention to him during the fight. "My body just moved on its own."

He didn't mind being saved by her. It was just that looking back on it now, it was pointless what he did and that he only made himself look dumb in front of her.

Hancock didn't follow. "What do you mean?"

He stopped walking and considered what to tell her realizing that she wouldn't drop it. She also stopped walking and looked back toward him making eye contact with him.

He sighed knowing that he could never lie to those eyes. "It's because you were behind where he was about to punch. I wanted to protect you." He started and added before she was confused. "Outside of the crew, I consider you as one of my closest friends." He revealed truthfully and saw Hancock's reaction.

Hancock looked shocked. It's been almost 6 months. She didn't count the first two weeks since they met because that was completely different. However, she never physically called him her friend. She called him many things but never friend physically.

There was a disappointment in her heart at that.

To her, he was an obstacle or helper to winning Luffy's love. Now she wasn't sure what he was.

"You're my friend too." She confessed although it seemed that her heart wanted more than that.

Yuuto smiled at that, feeling more peaceful with himself and happy that she wasn't angry at him anymore. It was the first time she actually called him her friend too. "I know we started out hating each other. I'm still sorry about the way I acted back then." Yuuto added. Hancock looked surprised. She was the one in the wrong back then. "But after the last 6 months, we became really close."

Hancock agreed with that realizing how much she also missed him spending time with him. She nodded for him to continue.

"You're someone I don't want to see get hurt even though you're stronger than me."

"I see." Hancock replied. She had a lot more to think about his words. Those words that he cared about her gave her joy.

Maybe, these weren't actually fake feelings.

As they made it to the medical supply closet, Yuuto realized something. "Wow. It's empty." He marveled.

Hancock was embarrassed. "I didn't know what to bring." She brought everything. She was worried what he was going to say.

Yuuto laughed. That sounded like her. "Thank you." It made him happy to know that she did care for him. It wasn't like Luffy, but it was still something.

He couldn't help but feel peace and joy seeing that. He should show some appreciation to what she did for him. Maybe also to make up the time he missed last month.

* * *

Dinner time Same day

Hancock paused and tried to control her fast beating heart. "Ok." She had repeated that many times to calm herself. She breathed in and out.

She remembered Yuuto's words after they put the medicine back. "Hancock, let's have dinner tonight. Just as friends." Yuuto emphasized the last part.

Before even thinking what to do, she found herself agreeing and quickly running away. He didn't clarify if it was a date. She was embarrassed about this.

At the same time, she couldn't help but feel so many emotions. Was she happy at being friends or eating with Yuuto? Was she excited because this could be a date with her practice boyfriend? Was she nervous and scared about this? Was she disappointed because he said as friends? This was so confusing.

She looked at the time. She knew for sure she feeling impatient because she couldn't wait for it to start. Knowing that it would be a good time.

After looking through her closet, Hancock decided to wear the outfit that Yuuto recommended. Jeans, white t shirt, black leather jacket, and black boots.

She blushed when she remembered what he said, that this outfit would be perfect for dates. If he asked about that, she would pretend that she forgot. She liked wearing this outfit.

She wasn't sure anymore whether it was actually because he said he liked it or she liked it herself. She couldn't even remember whether she liked it before she tried it on.

She opened the door and was surprised by the food already laid out. It wasn't cooked yet, but she was excited about what they were having. They were having hot pot, her favorite.

It was at that moment she really hoped it wasn't an accident or a spell that said caused her to have these feelings. She wanted to fall in love with Yuuto on her own.

At least, now, it gave her a chance to see things in a new light.

She laughed at the irony. A slave falling in love with a Chaser. Who would have thought?

But what about Luffy?

The irrational part said that Luffy was still charming, kind and cuter than what Yuuto was.

A rational part said to forget him. He didn't really pay attention to her anyway. Not after all the flirting and cooking she did, Luffy would never do what Yuuto just did now. That shut the irrational part up.

"Hancock." Yuuto appeared with the pot they were going to use. She seemed confused. "Are you ok?" He looked over at what she was wearing. "Oh. You're wearing what I recommended you to wear." He blushed at the thought. He was getting nervous even though this wasn't a date but she wore it. This was just a dinner between two friends.

"Yeah. I just really love hotpot." Hancock froze at her slight mistake. She meant to say you or Yuuto.

She froze again realizing what she just thought and her earlier thoughts.

That was when she realized the Snake Princess had really fallen for the Black Fox.

It was why she didn't want any of the Amazons to talk to Yuuto. It was why she was jealous (now that she finally admitted it) every time she saw them smile at him. It was why he was always on her mind. It was why she paid attention to his training and how he fought. It was why she felt so peaceful with herself whenever he talked to her about Luffy.

Luffy didn't stir up the same butterflies in her stomach anymore. Luffy just seemed like a hero to her.

Just as Hancock was about to correct herself and properly confess to Yuuto, Yuuto interrupted. "Yeah. I know. Make sure you declare your love to Luffy like that. He needs to get it through his thick skull."

At that timing, Hancock pouted and gripped her fists.

Yuuto took her pout to mean that she thought he was teasing him. He tried to correct himself before she got angry at him enough to ignore him. "Listen. Cheer up. I noticed yesterday how you acted when Luffy ignored you. I'm sure you'll win his love." After a while he mentally added. Luffy was incredibly dense.

Hancock didn't listen to the last sentence he said. She wanted to faint at the idea that he noticed that because he loved her. However, she remember he earlier emphasized to have dinner as friends.

Perhaps it was for the best that she didn't correct herself. The direct approach didn't work last time with Luffy.

She also remembered Yuuto's advice was that it would be best for the man to fall in love with the woman naturally by realizing the best characteristics she had.

Now that she thought about it, when she had asked Yuuto how he knew that, he turned away from her and said from experience.

It must have been experience because Yuuto fell for someone else. Whoever that person was Hancock wished it was her.

Not wanting to make the same mistake, she resolved to make Yuuto fall in love with her. Maybe this time, she would have a better chance at love. Seeing her attempt with Luffy ended as a disaster with Luffy not even acknowledging her feelings.

The irrational part in her brain spoke again. Kiss Yuuto to see how he would act. The irrational part completely forgot about Luffy.

She couldn't do that. That was too sudden. Yuuto didn't seem like that anyways.

As the two waited for the water to boil, she wondered what strengths she had. Maybe if she flaunted them Yuuto would notice her. Everyone in her country told her she was beautiful and had the largest chest.

She blushed remembering how she didn't like being groped by her sisters and her fans.

She hoped Yuuto wasn't that type of man.

Then again, he was a man. They have different taste. She would read the book and see what it said.

What were some other characteristics that she had?

Once the water started boiling, Yuuto put the vegetables in first. She noticed that it was quiet.

"Hey Yuuto?" She paused unsure how to ask this. "Is there someone you're in love with?" She was too embarrassed to ask him what he thought were her best qualities.

She paused and saw his gaze. He had accidentally splashed some water on himself. "You mean like someone right now." He was unsure how to answer this one. She realized that there really was someone; Yuuto wouldn't have been that clumsy.

"Yeah. I just wanted to know if I could." She then played with her hair unsure. "Help you get her." She lied and paused. "Like how you are helping me with Luffy." She quickly lied. Maybe if she knew who it was, she could figure out that person's strengths. Try to imitate that person.

Yuuto froze a bit. The way Hancock was acting was a slight turn on for him with her playing her hair. "No." He forgot what she could do to him. He was uncomfortable and focused on the water bubbling as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He quickly scooped around looking for cooked vegetables in hopes of not answering her question. "Not right now." He lied softly avoiding her eyes.

Hancock saw a slight twitch. That was a lie. She felt deflated and wondered who it was right now. What could she learn from her?

"How about?" She fidgeted with her hair. "You talk to me about someone you used to love." She looked at him really curious about what his type was.

Yuuto turned up the heat for the hot pot in hopes of cooking faster. She was killing him with these actions. "Someone I used to love eh?" He tried to calm down. She was his first crush too. Hancock was really asking personal questions this time. He couldn't do the logical thing and tell her who it was.

"Yeah." She looked around blurting out whatever came to her mind. "I just noticed that you've always been helping me. With Luffy. You even prepared hotpot, my favorite." She paused. "I think it's fair for my turn to help you." Saying that put some things in perspective. How could he call her a friend when she couldn't think of one thing she did for him? She was a bad friend.

Training didn't really count; that was an obligation before. Giving him medicine today didn't help him at all. They cooked together, but he showed her how.

What did she do for him that he did all of this for her?

Yuuto was about to facepalm himself but didn't. He was helping her so he could redeem himself and for her to be happy. It just so happened that he was also in love with her. He tried to switch the subject. "It's fine. That's not important." He then served her some vegetables that were done boiling as if for them to start eating. He then served himself.

As this was going on, Hancock added shabu shabu to the hot pot to be helpful. "Can you tell me why you want to help me so much?" She then prepared some garlic sauce with sesame oil as dip for the vegetables.

Yuuto thought carefully. He took a bite before carefully explaining "Because I think it's a way to clear my past." Yuuto explained truthfully. "It's the only way for me to feel peace with myself." He continued eating. The fact he was in love with her was a completely different and irrelevant matter.

Hancock listened and blew to cool the vegetables. She sighed. So he was still feeling extremely guilty about what he had done in the past. "You know. I did forgive you." If he didn't know, he would now.

"You did?"

"Yeah. I forgave you after our fight. You don't remember?" She looked at him confused. She said it right? If she didn't, she meant it now.

"I don't remember." He thought back to the time. He blushed a little bit because he remembered staring at her slightly exposed chest. Not that he could do that right now.

At the same time, Hancock realizing how hot it was going to be wearing her jacket, took off her jacket. Yuuto sweated unsure of whether it was the hotpot or her timing but she looked sexy while taking her jacket off. She then stared at him. "I forgive you. You should live with peace with yourself about it." She then served him some of the meat happy that this time it was her serving him not the other way around.

At that moment, Yuuto didn't believe it but thought there was hope for him to be forgiven. "Thanks." He accepted. He continued eating unsure of Hancock really did forgive him. Maybe she was just saying that.

She nodded happy that he accepted the meat she gave him.

The rest of the evening, they stopped talking about themselves but about other people in their crew.

Hancock had to admit; this was the most she laughed since childhood. Once she became Snake Princess, she couldn't laugh. Laughter was a sign of weakness, a signal that she kept her guard up. But with Yuuto, it seemed natural to let her guard down.

Yuuto loved her laugh. The way her eyes twinkled when he shared some of the training he did with Luffy. The way she smiled when he recounted scolding at Luffy; that was surprisingly ok with her.

After the meal was over, "Wow we finished all of it." Yuuto said.

Hancock nodded. She thought there would be some left over.

"I'll clean up. You can go." Yuuto offered.

"I can help clean up." Hancock insisted. "You prepared all of this." Maybe if she helped around more, Yuuto would also pay attention to her. She wasn't taking no for an answer.

As they were about to start cleaning together, Hancock couldn't help but think whether they looked like a couple. She had read that couples shared household responsibilities. She looked at him tower a little over her before she looked away and blushed. She could still smell his scent of grass.

Yuuto had trouble breathing because of how close she was. Even after the hotpot, she still smelled like lilies.

"You wash? I rinse?" Hancock offered. Yuuto nodded at that.

Seeing it was quiet while they cleaned the dishes, Hancock decided to ask again that one question that was still bugging her. "Can you please tell me who you like? I'm sure you like someone." After a pause. "I want to help you."

Yuuto froze knowing that he couldn't tell the truth. He would have to avoid it. "It's fine. You shouldn't worry about it. I'm a Chaser remember. I don't deserve your help." How could she help when she was in love with someone else?

She looked at that. He was still going about that. He had been supporting her this entire time. "You shouldn't call yourself that anymore. If you're going to call yourself that, then you might as well call me a slave. I deserve your help even less." She was annoyed hearing that and also felt useless.

Yuuto turned the faucet off and stared at her. There was a hint of anger and frustration in that tone. Similar to how she treated him in the beginning.

It reminded him of how they first met.

Before he fell in love with her.

Yuuto wanted to shout and deny that. Chasers were despicable. He wanted to argue with her about it.

However, Yuuto couldn't go back to being the person he was when he first met her. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you to think about your past."

"I don't deserve it." Hancock cried out in self-pity before turning off the faucet. "I don't deserve it all. I'm just a slave." Yuuto wasn't letting her help him; she hated being useless.

"Yes you do." Yuuto naturally wrapped his arm around her. Although he knew she felt vulnerable, she needed to be comforted. As she felt his arm around her, she didn't recoil but intuitively leaned in. Yuuto was nervous but tried to keep calm. He looked at her in the eye before speaking. She also looked him in the eye. "It's because of our histories that I need to make it up to you. I want you to be happy."

At that moment, they both got lost in each other's eyes. Yuuto and Hancock stopped listening to the rationale they had in their head. They both leaned in and closed their eyes to kiss each other.

It was Hancock's first kiss but she was sure this kiss was always going to be a special memory to her like some of the books mentioned. The kiss sent a jolt in her being. She imagined this must have been what fireworks look like. The instant their lips made contact, she was pulled in by Yuuto. She grabbed around his neck to get a better positioning of his lips. His lips were gentle as if he didn't want to hurt her.

Just like the first time he touched her.

Yuuto was surprised. In his dreams, he always pictured her lips always seemed rough but in reality, her lips were really soft. Feeling her hands around his neck, he slowly led her away from the sink. He lowered his arms to pick her by her butt in midair. She mentally shuddered at the touch but liked the sensation of being in the air. She wrapped her legs around his legs which he didn't expect but enjoyed the feeling of her body clinging onto him.

It made him feel that she desperately needed him.

Hancock was hanging on him for dear life. She kissed him more passionately in case she fell. When he lowered her, she took it as a sign to let go and unwrapped her feet onto the ground. As she continued kissing him, she realized it didn't have the same passion as earlier. The rush wasn't the same as before.

She needed to breathe so as she pulled slightly away from his mouth, Yuuto found his way to her cheek and then her neck. She envied his ability to keep his breath for a while. She then let out a soft moan as Yuuto apparently found a sweet spot on her neck.

Hearing that moan sent chills and brought him back to reality. He abruptly stopped kissing. Terrified, he looked at her and saw that she was panting and a swirl of emotions on her face.

Did he just take advantage of her emotional state only to confuse her?

Ashamed of himself, he didn't look at her before saying "Sorry. I know how much you love Luffy." He then ran out not wanting to hear what she had to say when she was emotionally vulnerable.

Before he left the room, he paused, wanting to say that kiss didn't mean anything. He looked at her helplessly there processing what just happened, couldn't lie to her, and continued running.

Hancock was confused as to what just happened. One moment, she was shamefully wanting more of his kisses. She wanted to feel her body pressed against his. His voice brought her out of that state.

She didn't love Luffy she mentally corrected. She loved him.

That look he gave her before running away. She recognized it. It was a look she had whenever she thought about Luffy. Did he love her? Her intuition told her that she needed to find him. She needed to clear this up now.

* * *

In a forest

Salome had been hunting her dinner in a nearby forest. She didn't want to join Hancock and Yuuto's time together. She winked at Hancock when she saw Hancock pick the outfit he recommended 2 months ago. She was hoping that something would happen tonight between her two favorite humans.

Speaking of them, she smelled both of them and decided to look around. She thought they were in the castle. Ah well, maybe she would accidentally push them together again.

As she slithered away, she found Yuuto practicing his bajiquan elbow strikes on a nearby tree. Some trees had fallen down. He needed to hit something after what happened last night. When she smelled again, she noticed a hint of Hancock's smell on him. They must have been really close to mating in order for that to happen.

She smiled when she smelled Hancock nearby who seemed to be tracking him.

She didn't know humans' mating ritual was more similar to predator and prey. That sounds fun.

Yuuto hadn't noticed her yet. He was distracted in his thoughts and couldn't use Observation Haki. Salome was obviously going to help Hancock capture Yuuto. She would wrap around his legs and prevent him from moving.

As Salome sneaked along careful not to make a sound, she heard Yuuto panic. She then pounced and wrapped around his feet.

"What Salome?" He tried to get her off. He didn't notice her until it was too late. He was too focused feeling guilty about giving in to his feelings and forcing himself onto Hancock.

He couldn't think straight knowing still focused on that kiss even if it was one sided.

Soon enough Hancock came in. "Yuuto. Why did you?" She looked. "Thanks Salome! You helped a lot." Much to his horror.

"No problem. Now mate with him Hancock" Salome hissed out to Hancock.

Not understanding what Salome said, Hancock started out "Yuuto." She played with her fingers. "Why did you?"

Yuuto still struggling. "I'm sorry. I know you're in love with Luffy but it was just an accident." Hancock seemed to shrink hearing that. Was this what that book meant by men are dense? Why else would she kiss him back? She would have beaten him to death if she didn't want him to kiss her. Or used her Mero mero powers and crushed him. "My feelings got the better of me."

That sentence sucked the air out of her lungs like the kiss earlier. Was that a love confession from him?

Outwardly, she had an impassive face, the face she had before she met Luffy. Inwardly, her head was spinning considering the possibility. Could she afford to drop her guard? Drop the act that she put on the entire country just for this man to completely demolish it?

She looked again at him. Her heart rate increased. She knew she could trust him and breathed.

Yuuto flinched saying the last sentence so carelessly. He had exposed himself slightly. Here it comes for her to declare her love for Luffy.

"I love you." Hancock boldly responded. She took a leap of faith, not caring if it was a misunderstanding or a mistake. Who cares what the book said about whether the guy or girl should confess first?

It was confusing and she needed to be free from this not knowing how to handle her emotions. If she kept it any longer, she would burst.

"What?" He stopped struggling, surprised to hear her say that. He didn't expect it all. Was she emotionally confused or hallucinating that he was Luffy?

Feeling the relief from her shoulders, she confessed again "Yuuto, I.. I'm in love with you." Even if he didn't return her feelings, she had to let him know right now. "I don't love Luffy anymore. I stopped loving him when I realized I fell in love with you."

It was true. She realized that Luffy was just a celebrity idol to her.

Yuuto paused as if he was in a dream, unwilling to believe this. "When did you start loving me? Why did you fall in love with me? A Chaser." All those months.

She slapped him loudly. Yuuto felt the sting; it was similar to their first fight. "You're not that person. Stop calling yourself that."

That slap and those words knocked some sense into him. Looking at her eyes briefly showed that she genuinely didn't consider him as a Chaser anymore. It was a look of confidence that she had when she wasn't thinking about her past. It was a look of clarity. Hancock really had forgiven him of being a Chaser. It explained why she was worried about him. Why she was angry at him earlier for thinking about his past.

"I didn't fall in love with a Chaser." He looked at her continuing. She didn't seem confused as before.

Yuuto couldn't help but inwardly smile, realizing how lucky he was. She really did love him and wanted him to move on for that. It felt that he accomplished his dream of atonement and attained something more. She didn't see him as one of her tormentors.

Seeing how dense he was, Hancock continued to lay out her emotions knowing how released she felt. It was comparable to the day Fisher Tiger freed her. "Before dinner started, I realized I fell in love with the man who's always been helping me trying to win over my former first love." She paused to take a breath. Yuuto didn't seem to be responding and looked dumbfounded.

Hancock mentally sighed; he was dense like Luffy. She expected better. "My friend who promised he would protect me from the World Nobles if they ever found me again."

Yuuto breathed again. He remembered that promise. It was the day he knew he was in love with Hancock.

"My pretend boyfriend who always tries to cheer this weak and useless slave up. Helping her accomplish her dreams which she had no hope of making." She started crying at the lack of response disappointed. Even though she was free from all of these emotions, it hurt to see the lack of response. Maybe no one who would ever love her back.

Yuuto ran his fingers through her hair. It was the first time he touched her hair in real life. It was softer than the silk-like hair he had dreamed about. He was confused about this pretend boyfriend she mentioned but knew he also had to properly respond to her feelings.

He didn't feel nervous, comforted by her declaration.

"I didn't fall in love with a slave." He whispered in her ear. She felt heartbroken at his response. She was a slave. Actually, she was worse being branded for life. She really thought she had a better chance this time. "I fell in love with a beautiful woman whose past of being a slave haunted her." She looked curious at this hearing him admit who he loved. The question he avoided all night.

"A broken lady who sets up barriers for herself trying to prevent anyone from getting too close until she fell in love with my captain." It must have been someone in the crew who was looking for Luffy's love?

She pitied the person knowing how hard that was going to be. At least, Yuuto was responding to her confession. Even though it was slowly breaking her heart. She really wanted to tell him that she could change on his behalf.

It didn't work so well last time with Luffy but she was clinging onto that hope.

Why was she cursed with such a terrible fate as a slave?

"Seeing her in love toward my captain was really cute. I loved her care and thoughtfulness. I just never thought she would fall in love with me." He looked at her in the eye saying that. She gasped realizing what he had said.

He didn't view her as a slave regardless what she thought. "Yes, I love you too Boa Hancock."

She cried happily at his response. However, her insecurities came back. "But why? I'm weak. I'm insecure. Not helpful. Worst of all..." She wiped away the tears. She turned her back to him and lifted the back of her shirt to expose her permanent scar to him. He stopped her before it was fully revealed.

"You want to love this?" She asked out loud.

Yuuto paused. He had seen that mark enough times; he used to have to bring them back to them. Still, it was his turn to show that he accepted who she was.

Just like she accepted him and his history.

"Yes." She cried hearing this as he moved her hand down to cover it. "I want to love only you. You're not a slave. You're a human being more importantly the queen here. You're not weak. You're the strongest woman I know." He said truthfully. "You're helpful in your own way." He paused. "If it weren't for those other things, I wouldn't have fallen for you. You're Boa Hancock." He looked at her. Those traits were part of what he accepted in her. "Most importantly, right now, you accepted me for who I was and am right now."

As she wiped away her tears, she cried out. "I hope this isn't a dream." Happy that she found someone who loved all the good and bad parts about her.

Yuuto only chuckled at that. He had that thought earlier. "It's not."

"How do you know?"

"Because I would have woken up when we started kissing back then." That's how all his dreams happened. "Also this." He rolled up his sleeve, showing her the marks on his arm revealing that he had been slamming his body against a couple trees. "I want this to be real too." The force he used should have been enough to wake him up.

Otherwise, those trees shouldn't have fallen down.

She looked confused as what he meant by his first sentence. Still, it made her jubilant that her feelings were returned. She found someone who loved her unconditionally for who she was.

The two talked the rest of the night, clearing up any confusion and misunderstandings they had the last months.

Yuuto was confident that he would be affected by her Mero Mero powers. It's just that she never tested him recently. Hancock didn't test it out preferring him to be alive.

He also believed that Hancock was in love with Luffy for the last 7 months. That's why he was a little dense. He was blushing hard at that accusation. He reasoned that he didn't think he had a chance.

They were both blushing when Yuuto revealed that he had dreamed of her for almost 4 months now.

Hancock admitted she was fully aware of starting to love him a month ago.

Yuuto smiled at Hancock's plan during the last month of avoiding him. He smirked and teased Hancock when it sounded like she got jealous. Hancock played with her fingers while denying it. Hancock blushed when Yuuto said she looked so cute like that.

Yuuto admitted he was relieved because he thought she was angry at him the last month. Hancock apologized.

Hancock teased Yuuto back when Yuuto revealed that he wanted to fight Luffy just because he ignored Hancock. Yuuto claimed that he wasn't jealous, but Hancock smiled at that. Maybe she wasn't going to be the only one jealous in their relationship. At least the fight made more sense now.

About the practice dating, Yuuto sighed when he had to explain that wasn't what he meant to be her practice boyfriend. However, he had to clear up that they were together now for real. Hancock nodded at that promising never to deny that anymore.

They both agreed that this ended up being a date with the way it ended up.

Salome had slithered away disappointed. It did not seem they were going to mate anytime soon. Still, as she slithered back home, she smiled. It seemed they were closer than before.

At the end, the new couple debated who was in love first.

"I didn't know saying the moon is beautiful meant I love you." Yuuto confessed. That was obscure and he never heard that before. "That doesn't count." Yuuto reasoned. It has no meaning in that case. Hancock was recounting a childhood story. Hancock dismissed his crush from earlier.

"I didn't either but that still counts." Hancock refuted. "This coming from you who had a crush on 11 year old me." She giggled saying it out loud. It sounded like she had a faithful boyfriend.

Yuuto blushed. "I agree that doesn't count when I was young." She dismissed his crush because they didn't even talk to each other; he had to agree with that. "But not knowing what it meant at the time is different." Yuuto shook his head.

"Yes it does." Hancock countered. She said it first so that must have meant something.

"But I actually knew what I was feeling." Yuuto countered. "It's just that you were in love with Luffy and I didn't think I had a chance."

"Maybe I secretly knew." Hancock didn't want him to catch her slight lie. "I was just distracted by Luffy."

With a smile on their faces, the two then bickered the rest of the night on their way back. Teasing each other about it.

As they saw it was time for them to go to sleep, they both looked at the full moon and simultaneously shared a look.

"The moon is beautiful tonight." They both said to each other. [4]

* * *

Day 207

As Sanji was being chased by the okamas, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"Why do I feel that I need to kill that Yuuto bastard when I see him?"

* * *

[1]

How many of you guys thought that Delphine was going to end up as a serious rival with Hancock?

I like teasing.

Still, I didn't want to make the fanfic unnecessarily long and didn't want to prolong it.

Trust me. Sandersonia was definitely considered as being a rival as well.

[2]

Keep in mind Nami couldn't use the full power of her Climatact. No lightning, no wind, just as a staff.

The next day, she does win; however, it's only barely.

[3]

I'm basically making Robin's clone power similar to Naruto's Kage Bunshin.

The problem is that Robin will only make 2 clones because she can experience the same things as the clone instantaneously which requires more focus. She's essentially multitasking.

Not like Kage Bunshin where you need the clone to go poof and then you get knowledge.

Also Robin's clone is more durable.

[4]

I definitely could have made their story longer but I needed to finish this in a reasonable amount of time with believable plot. Otherwise, I would never actually progress with the actual story.

Here's hoping I made it believable. The main romantic subplot I had focused for this story is done. There are a couple others but it will be stretched out.

Keep in mind that the Strawhats are seriously training (even though this chapter focused more on romance)

Those who may have wanted Hancock with Luffy

In my opinion, Hancock loving Luffy is really cute, but it's one sided. For storytelling, it's fine because we'd rather focus on the action and adventure aspect. That relationship would be good comedy. In real life though, not so much.

In the manga, if pairings happen, I do hope that Hancock ends up with either Luffy (because it is cute) or Bartolomeo (for laughs).

So it's officially Yuuto x Hancock. After the next chapter, I will add Hancock as a main character (she will be somewhat a main character) just to keep the surprise. This had been planned from the beginning when I created Yuuto and his past and thought which girl would fit him best. That is why I had Vivi, Kalifa, and Robin as potential love interests because I toyed with those ideas. However, when I remembered Hancock's story and how I developed Yuuto, I felt it was the best course of action for both of them. Describing Robin as a black long haired and tall woman also worked for describing Hancock. That was my tease and red herring for a long time. Sorry for the guests who kept reviewing about Yuuto and Robin.

Yeah very dragged out seeing that it took like 37 chapters to get there. But it's done!

I do recommend reading back some of the early chapters. There were lots of clues about this that I had written. See if you can find them. Even starting in chapter 1.

This chapter was the most fluff I've written, and probably will have the most fluff in a single chapter.

Next chapter, I'm wrapping up the two year training arc. Expect a little fluff next chapter but then we go back to the main story. That may take a while before being updated.

There will still be some fluff spread about throughout the story.

I promise, there will be less focus between Yuuto and Hancock once I start the return to Sabaody and Fishman Island. The relationship will be mentioned a lot but as humor. I will be poking fun at them.

After Fishman Island, I will be diverting from canon a bit before I go straight to Punk Hazard. I have a fun idea that I've been planning while I wrote this section.

Please leave a review offering constructive criticism or feedback.


	38. Chapter 38 2 Year Training Part 5

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or chapter 939.

Two Year Training Arc Part 5

* * *

Day 217

The entire population of the Amazon Lily noticed how different Hancock looked now. She didn't seem as cold-hearted or strict as before. Her features looked softer and that made her look even cuter than before. All of Hancock's fangirls noticed that Yuuto and Hancock seemed closer than before and it seemed that he transformed her.

One day, they noticed they were holding hands. They approached closer to him ready to touch him curious about man's touch before Hancock gave them a glare. Some wisely backed off. Others were unaware of her implications.

Yuuto could only sweatdrop at what happened next. She was the jealous type. He hoped he explained carefully how Nami and Robin were family to him whenever the three would meet. Nami and Robin were like his sisters. It was important they would get along. He didn't want to handle any unnecessary drama when the Strawhats met her.

He already knew that he would want to kill Sanji for flirting with her. He could imagine himself breaking Brook's instruments for asking her to see her panties. Purposely not protecting Usopp in danger. Misplacing Franky's tools.

He laughed. Those were just necessary precautions. It wasn't a sign of jealousy. It was a good thing he could trust Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper. They weren't really interested in girls.

"Hancock" He said. "You know I only have eyes for you." He looked at a few of the fangirls lying on the floor that had gotten too close to him. He was pretty sure the fangirls were only curious about him just because he had Hancock's undivided attention. They weren't attracted to him.

Not like the men in the real world out there. They would be attracted to Hancock.

Hancock patted the dirt off of herself. "I know. It's just that they're ruining our time together."

Yuuto laughed at that. They were just walking back from sparing together. Hancock had started practicing Piguaquan while he practiced Bajiquan. It wasn't super special, but he really did enjoy spending time with her. Even if it was doing simple things like walking right now. "I see." It was nice to see how cute she was, but he knew the girls weren't really attracted to him.

It would be different outside Amazon Lily. His crew members and men outside this island would be attracted to her. That was why he would have to take necessary precautions.

"You know. Ever since we officially started dating, I noticed we both could use Armament Haki better." Yuuto nodded at that. The day after they confessed their feelings for each other, Yuuto could finally incorporate Armament Haki with his martial arts. Hancock mentioned that her Armament Haki was stronger than before when they spared. "Do you think it's because of the power of love? I feel like the strongest woman in the world! Even stronger than Big Mom."

He looked at her slightly in disbelief. He didn't want to disagree but it did make sense. All the time struggling how to incorporate armament Haki and then how much easier it became once they confessed. He would ask Rayleigh about it. "It's possible." He then took out his hand again to her which she accepted. He didn't want voice his question that she was stronger than Big Mom. He heard stories about the Yonko's strength; there was a lot to beat.

After a pause, Hancock pointed out. "You know I met her once. She sent one of her sons after me before I became Shichibukai. I fought back. Since then, she seems to hate me. Whenever we engage with the Big Mom Pirates, they seem intent on fighting me and my pirates."

Yuuto quickly made a mental note of that. He knew how the Big Mom pirates worked and Hancock probably didn't know any better back then.

As they continued walking along, people wisely moved out the way and greeted them. He heard Hancock giggle. Wondering why, he asked, "What's so funny?". Maybe he could do something different to make her laugh.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about if this is what it feels like when we are walking to our wedding ceremony." She said so happily.

Yuuto could only sweatdrop at that. It wasn't because he didn't want to marry her. He had to be 100% sure that they were both ready for it. As of right now, he wasn't ready and wasn't sure she was really ready for it as well. Besides, it felt like they were both in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

It also mattered about timing. He wanted to make sure his crew was there for his wedding. Those were the only people he cared enough that he wanted them to be there to celebrate his wedding.

"How so?." He wasn't used to how her mind worked.

"They're creating an aisle for us." Hancock pointed out according to what she read as if it was obvious.

Yuuto could only chuckle at that. There was so much they both needed to learn. "Let's continue courting each other before we talk about marriage."

"What's the difference between dating and courting?" Hancock asked. All the books talked about dating.

"Courting means for a longer period of times." Yuuto said. "Dating is for only a few times." Yuuto looked at her to confirm that he was serious about this relationship they were going to have.

Hancock nodded and blushed. She was sure Yuuto was serious about the relationship and had thoughts about marriage. The question she had was why didn't they just get married immediately?

* * *

Day 224

"It's not that simple."

" **What do you mean?"**

"Crusher" Chopper sighed. Crusher could talk to Chopper now without using the rumble balls. Crusher discovered he could be given some control of Chopper during Heavy Point and that caused Heavy Point to look bigger. "You need to know how to behave in front of people. You can't just go smashing the ground. People don't like that." Chopper tried to explained delicately. Crusher had destroyed some of the plants that Chopper was researching as medicine. "Only do that to bad people."

Chopper gave Crusher free reign at Heavy Point, but stopped when Crusher had unnecessarily been smashing the same piece of land for a long time. At Beast Point, Chopper could only talk to him but not gain control back.

At least Chopper could immediately correct him.

It was interesting how Chopper was acting like a big brother. He hoped Crusher would see him like how he saw Zoro or Yuuto.

" **But it's fun."** Crusher pouted. There was a certain joy he had in smashing the ground.

Chopper sighed. "It doesn't look good to other people." He looked at him. "Only smash to protect yourself." He advised.

" **Ok."** Crusher agreed. Chopper mentally patted him at the head realizing why the others liked patting him on the head as well. It was fun to pet someone for a change.

"Let's try again." Chopper said as he let Crusher take control of Heavy Point as practice again.

He hoped Crusher could learn enough before using Beast Point.

* * *

Day 231

"Congratulations!"

Sanji stared at the okama chef. "I don't want you to tell me that." He only wanted to be praised by women.

"But really. You only have 35 more recipes to get." Knoll, the okama chef, responded. "All of us are really intrigued to see if you can beat us. Even some of them have been training harder before you meet us. We want you to stay with us forever!" He cooed our.

Sanji cried. That was making his life harder. He took the recipe and left.

"I hope you come visit me." Knoll asked hopefully. "Bye Sanji-kun!" Sanji felt a shudder.

"Like hell I will." He would only visit women.

* * *

Day 239

When Yuuto and Hancock came to visit Luffy and Rayleigh holding hands, Rayleigh gave a knowing smile. "It's about time."

Luffy looked confused but waved hi to them. Hancock looked shocked. "What. You knew?"

Yuuto didn't say anything. He thought back. Did Rayleigh plan this from the beginning?

"Well Shakky mentioned it. She thought you two could help each other with your past." Both of them stared at the ground blushing when hearing that. "It's important for you two because that should help your Armament Haki."

"How?" Yuuto asked that. Curious. He laughed a little; it seemed that Hancock was right after all.

"Armament Haki needs one to be comfortable with himself. It's a will that works best with how comfortable you are with yourself." He paused. "Shakky told me that Yuuto wasn't going to unlock Armament Haki unless someone accepted his past. Hancock's armament Haki wasn't as strong as it should be." It was just like Hancock said.

"Now that Yuuto can incorporate Armament Haki in his normal style, he can start trying to master it." Rayleigh continued. Yuuto nodded at that. "That will take a lot of fighting experience, but you will get it."

Elder Nyon came running through the forest. Rayleigh looked as she panted. She was completely ignored by the couple who was surprised that she wanted to join them this time. "I suppose we have more important matters if you're here." Rayleigh pointed out.

"Rayleigh, I need you to convince Yuuto not to marry Hancock." That was the first time she mentioned it to them.

"What!" Hancock looked outraged.

Yuuto looked angry as well. "Why?" That thought wasn't official yet, but he didn't want to rush it.

Rayleigh sighed knowing some of the Amazon Lily history. "Right. If Yuuto marries Hancock, Hancock's practically resigning from the Shichibukai."

Yuuto widened at the implication. The Strawhats were enemies to the World Government. If Hancock married him, she was obviously allying herself to their cause. The island would no longer be able to protect itself from the World Government and it would attack. Even worse, if they captured Hancock…

"What! You can't stop our love!" Hancock cried out dramatically.

Nyon yelled. "Don't you understand. The island will be in danger." She didn't want to expose the Kuja to the world.

"But..." She blushed at that and began playing with her fingers before declaring. "I want to be Yuuto's wife." Yuuto blushed a little hearing that.

"Hancock." Yuuto started. Her safety was important to him. "Listen carefully." She looked at him afraid. "You will be in danger if we get married now." She looked sad hearing that. Yuuto was accepting what everyone else was saying. "Unless..." Rayleigh and Nyon looked curious at that. Luffy was just confused.

She looked at him hopefully. "Unless what." There was a spark of hope.

"Unless Luffy becomes a Yonko" Yuuto stated. Rayleigh smiled at the idea.

Luffy was picking his nose. He heard that. "What do you mean? I'm going to be Pirate King."

Yuuto smiled. "Even better." While Rayleigh nodded.

Nyon asked. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. No one threatens Yonko's properties." Yuuto explained.

"Wait so, if Luffy becomes a Yonko, then Yuuto will marry me?" Hancock connected. Yuuto tentatively nodded at that. She missed some points, but it was true. By then, he was sure they would both be ready.

"No one would attack with Amazon Lily if we're under the protection of the Yonko." Nyon said more seriously. Everyone in Amazon Lily would be safe.

"How do we make Luffy become a Yonko?" Hancock asked. "We have Shanks, Kaido, Big Mom, and recently Blackbeard." That was news to the men. Yuuto sighed. He needed to keep up to date with the news.

"If that's the case. Then we need to make Luffy a Gonko, the fifth emperor." Yuuto pointed out the meaning.

Luffy began eating; this planning wasn't his forte.

"We're going to need lots of allies." Yuuto began brainstorming.

After a loud burp. "Wouldn't it be easier just to beat one of the previous down." Luffy declared. Yuuto and Rayleigh nodded at that. Hancock smiled a little fondly remembering how direct Luffy was.

Elder Nyon yelled. "You can't just beat them down."

"We can't. But we need information. Every Yonko has a weak spot. Hancock darling." Yuuto turned to her.

"Yes beloved." Hancock blushed and played with her fingers. It seemed he was asking her to do something super important.

"Think you can use your Shichibukai privileges to infiltrate Marine camps and get us information on the Yonko, any government projects, and upcoming pirates. Oh. Look into Doflamingo, he has connections to the Underworld. Anything that will help Luffy become Pirate King when we start our journey again." Yuuto realized how it sounded he was taking advantage of her and the dangers she would place herself in if she got caught. "Hancock-chan." He held her hands. "It's ok to say no if it's too much."

Hancock smiled at her beloved's request. It wasn't a problem for her at all. "Yes I can. The sooner I do this, the sooner we'll be married." Yuuto slightly sighed. She missed the point, but that was ok. He loved that about her.

"That's going to have to happen in about 2 years. I'm guessing. It shouldn't take more than 3 years." He knew that timeline might disappoint her.

Hancock sighed but held his hand. "That's fine." She smiled at him willing to wait. Now that she had a wedding date in mind.

"Thanks." Yuuto hugged her which Hancock reciprocated as well. As he let go, he then slapped Luffy on the shoulder. "Luffy, thank her." He ordered realizing how Hancock was going to help Luffy accomplish his dream. Hancock smiled realizing that Yuuto was making sure she was appreciated.

"Thanks!" He was confused why but figured Yuuto had a valid reason.

"You're welcome. But I'm doing this for Yuuto-kun, not for you."

"Then, I'll start planning once I get enough information." Yuuto smiled. He looked forward to the idea of taking down the Yonko. "Luffy. Hancock-chan's going to help you become Pirate King."

Luffy yelled hearing that. "Thanks!" He gave her a hug. Yuuto looked on and saw that Hancock still blushed from the contact, but it wasn't the same anymore. He mouthed it's just a friendly hug to her. If she was helping him, then she should join his crew. Luffy then said, "You should join my crew if you're doing that Hancock."

Both Yuuto and Hancock looked at each other and smiled at that possibility. Nyon quickly yelled. "No! The Amazon Lily still needs Hancock."

"What should I be looking for?" Hancock sighed and asked. She would think about that offer later. She did understand her responsibilities to her people and her country.

"Crew members, strengths, finances, partners, projects." Rayleigh started. "Locations important as well."

"Focus on Blackbeard." Yuuto said ominously. He needed to pay for causing Luffy to sudder. Hancock nodded understanding Luffy's pain. It didn't anger her as much before but she understood.

Luffy nodded. "We're going to take down Blackbeard first." He needed to make him pay.

Him and Akainu especially. For Ace's sake.

Rayleigh offered. "Be careful not to make it to personal. That could blind you from your goal." He understood the hostility they had. "Blackbeard is a patient man if you think about it."

Yuuto nodded. "I never heard of him until Ace mentioned him. Someone that strong is supposed to have an earlier bounty. What's scary is that he could use two devil fruits." When he saw him at Marineford, he knew he could use Yami Yami and Gura Gura.

"Two devil fruits?" Rayleigh asked in shock.

Hancock nodded; she also witnessed it. "I never met anyone who could use two double fruits. I thought people died from eating two."

Rayleigh murmured something incoherently. "What is it Rayleigh?" Yuuto asked.

"Take down Blackbeard later." Rayleigh offered. "He's much stronger than we can imagine. He's going to be targeting Devil Fruit users soon and steal their powers." He predicted.

Yuuto looked immediately worried at Hancock remembering her power. "Don't find him." He wrapped his arms around her as if to protect her.

Hancock nodded, touched about his concern. Luffy then asked a question. "Hey. You two are closer now. Are you?"

Hancock blushed at that. "Yeah." She didn't know how to say this to her former love. "I don't love you anymore."

"You were in love with me!" Luffy yelled obliviously. "I'm sorry. I-"

Yuuto interrupted. There was no need for anything awkward between him and his captain now "Yeah. We're courting each other now." He motioned to both him and her. He was wondering how his crew would respond to that. He was sure no one including himself expected this to happen during the two years.

Hancock smiled happily that he admitted it. She had thought Yuuto was the type not to admit it. She read in a book that men typically were not the type to show off their girlfriends to their friends.

"Courting?" Luffy asked. Rayleigh and Elder Nyon looked surprised. It seemed that they were both taking this relationship seriously.

"Yeah. It's like dating but more serious." Yuuto said as straight faced as he could.

"For marriage?" Luffy asked as he was thinking more.

Yuuto nodded. "Yeah. She's amazing." Holding her hand, he admitted to him. Hancock was sure she was red as a tomato hearing him praise her in front of his friend. "She makes me a better person. I want to be by her side all the time."

Luffy nodded. "I see." He paused. "Well, I'm happy for you." He paused before pointing at Hancock. "Hey, you should definitely join the crew!" He then paused again. "Is that what I might feel about Nami?" He asked out loud.

Hancock gasped hearing that. Well, she was happy that she got over her infatuation with him. She didn't have a chance after all. She looked at Yuuto, Then again, she has Yuuto instead.

She grimaced realizing that made it sound like Yuuto won second place. That wasn't true. Yuuto won her first place. And second place. And fourth place. Third place was for her people.

As she looked toward Yuuto, he was on the ground twitching. She reached out to offer a hand which he took. Yuuto was thankful for Nami's sake. Maybe, Nami had hope after all. Hearing that confirmation was all he needed to officially start involving himself with these two.

He only played matchmaker if he knew for sure two people liked each other. This didn't happen often.

"So will you be having kids when you guys get married?" Luffy asked directly.

Before Yuuto could respond to that and yell at him for asking such a private question. Hancock dropped bigger bomb. "How do you have kids when you get married?" Hancock asked curiously. The men (yes surprise Luffy) blushed while Elder Nyon sighed. She had a lot to explain to Hancock.

Nyon started. "We Kuja are very different from the outside world. I will tell Hancock personally about it. That's why I didn't want him to stay and influence our culture." Hancock looked confused while the other men just breathed relief.

Yuuto looked relieved. "I will treat her right." They weren't going to do that any time soon.

Elder Nyon laughed. "I'm not worried about that anymore." Yuuto proved himself to her.

[1]

* * *

Day 250

It was Brook's first live concert as Soul King. His album had performed well enough. The company managed to get him an audience with the Lulusia Kingdom.

It was a successful hit with the audience. Tickets were sold out. It turned out even the king and the princess were among the audience being fans of his first album.

They asked to have a private audience with Brook which was given.

The king praised. "Never before have I ever heard such beautiful and elegant music. It conveyed such emotions I never experienced before. It was better live than hearing it through a CD." He shook Brook's hand. "I look forward to hearing you play and wishing you succeed in your future endeavors. You have my support." Brook was happy to hear. To have a king as one of your fans meant a lot to the quality of his music.

"Soul King." The princess asked tentatively. "Could I have your autograph?"

Brook cleared his throat. "Sure. Where do you want me to sign?"

"I don't know. Is there a piece of paper somewhere?" The princess asked happily that her celebrity idol was going to give her an autograph.

After rummaging around with no paper to be found, Brook asked a little impatiently. "How about I sign your panties?"

Needless to say, it was Brook's last performance at Lulusia Kingdom ever and the king was no longer his fan.

As Brook and his managers had to quickly escape the island, Brook cried desperately. "I was about to see them too." The princess was shocked at first but relented. It was her celebrity idol anyway. The king was furious at that.

A couple weeks later, the company called the managers to ask why the Lulusia Kingdom banned his music publicly.

* * *

Day 274

Usopp had been staring at his reflection. He was proud of the results so far.

"I look so manly now! I don't look like a wimp anymore!" He exclaimed happily. He could graduate from being the Weakling Trio.

He didn't look scrawny compared to how he looked before. He wasn't super buff, but he definitely looked like an athlete now especially the physical running around he had to do when he couldn't just rely on his weapons.

Although he doubted he would ever reach Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Yuuto's level of physical abilities, he knew he had to be counted on as well. Usopp had to be realistic. He had to pretend he couldn't always rely on his traps. He would just have to run away in battle faster than before if needed. He would be running away to find a safe sniping spot in the distance.

That was his job to attack his enemies from a safe distance.

He also may be needed to carry his wounded allies away in battle for a strategic retreat.

He wasn't a coward anymore. Nope. He was just one of the more cautious members.

"I wonder how much the others have changed as well." He wondered out loud.

He had stories planned out to tell his crew about how he much he transformed.

* * *

Day 286

Franky had finished modifying himself. He had tested out the lasers that the Pacifists had. To celebrate and as a break, he turned on the radio to listen to some music.

As the song continued, he realized why the voice sounded so familiar. It sounded like Brook.

He shook his head dismissing the idea. He was missing his crewmates too much. He continued dancing to whatever he was listening.

Whatever the music was it was touching his soul.

He danced looking forward to creating the ammo that Vegapunk designed for devil fruit users and other species.

* * *

Day 309

Brook was thankful that all he had to do was record the music he made. It seemed his new single was a hit.

However, writing new songs was tough; he needed inspiration.

In the meantime, he had plenty of time to work on his swordsmanship. It served as an inspiration for him as well.

If he could use his devil fruit power with his music, why couldn't he use it with his swordsmanship?

Perhaps, it could become a physical manifestation of his soul?

Whatever it accomplished it, he thought of a name already. Soul Solid.

* * *

Day 310

"Ah! A ghost!" Brook yelled out. He had somehow turned into a ghost. "Ghosts are scary!" He yelled at his reflection he saw in his sword fallen on the ground.

He tried to go back to his body only for him to pass through it.

"Weird. I thought that would work. That normally works." Just as he was about to try one more time, he realized something. "Wait. I passed through my body. Could I pass through walls?" This idea was more important.

As he experimented and succeeded, he had a nosebleed at the possibilities.

After that, he didn't have as much trouble writing about songs knowing that he could spy on people and what they talked about. He just had to be quiet so no one heard him. He had found his inspiration.

More importantly, he could use his powers properly the way they were meant to be created.

* * *

Day 328

Zoro snuck a grin when this time Mihawk used Yoru in their duel.

Zoro was getting stronger for him to treat him seriously.

"Focus. Remember every blade can be the Black Blade." Zoro tried to interpret what Mihawk was referring to meant. Mihawk was focused on using Haki attacks.

"I'm just happy that I'm strong enough for you to acknowledge me with your signature blade and I still have more than a year left." Zoro grinned cockily. "Who knows? Maybe I'll beat you before the two years even finish."

At that remark, Mihawk's gaze pierced him. Zoro fell down realizing he had been cut three times in that span. He was reminded that he was a frog in a small pond.

"Think again." Mihawk pointed out. As he saw Zoro get up, he remained impassive. Inwardly, he thought that it was possible for Zoro to beat him, but his time was not yet. "Again."

Perona looked on stand by. "I can't believe these two are making me wait on the sidelines as if I'm an emergency nurse."

"No one asked you to!" Zoro yelled. Mihawk nodded at that. He looked between the two freeloaders living off of him.

Why was he such a nice host? It's been almost a year. He should charge them rent.

* * *

Day 331

"Boss. Are you sure about this?"

Law looked at Bepo. "I'm sure." He had a plan that would take a while. He needed this position.

He hoped the World Government would offer him the position of Shichibukai soon. He hoped they received the package soon to let him join them.

* * *

Day 347

"Boss! It's ready."

A green haired man with piercings looked at the ship that was just made. Its mast looked like a teenager wearing a red cardigan with a straw hat.

"It does look like him doesn't it boss?"

The green haired man could only cry at that. "It's perfect."

"What should we call it?"

"The Going Strawhat?"

"The Going Merry 2?"

"The Going Zoro?" A slap was heard.

"Forget Zoro. Sanji's better." That caused some people to start fighting. They had to be separated by a barrier that was set up.

The green haired man with piercing yelled. "It will be named Going Luffy -Senpai!" The rest of the crew yelled liking the name.

Whenever the Strawhats were ready to come back, he and his crew would be there ready to help them.

* * *

Day 365

It had been a year since Yuuto started living at Amazon Lily.

They were going to train their martial arts before having an afternoon picnic that Hancock wanted to have. Yuuto happily obliged.

"It's good how similar Bajiquan and Piguaquan are." Hancock noted. Yuuto had noticed some differences. Piguaquan focused more on rotating arms to bring out more power to the palm techniques. Bajiquan relied on the strong hips movements to bring out power to its strikes. "Seeing that you already have most of the basics of Armament Haki down in your martial arts, I'll show you the next level." Hancock then asked Yuuto to step aside so he could see. "Pay attention to the tree over there." She pointed out to a tree about 5 feet away from here.

Hancock began to warm up spinning her arms in a windmill to loosen her body. She then made a couple graceful motions and strikes which Yuuto admired. She looked beautiful and elegant in doing so. The way she ended with a palm strike to the air.

"Amazing." He mumbled out.

"Yuuto-kun." She had heard that and blushed a little. Yuuto was always in a daze whenever she practiced martial arts in front of him like how she was whenever she saw him practice martial arts. However, they needed to remain focused at training for whatever enemies they would face. "Please focus at the tree now." Yuuto was embarrassed that he was admiring her girlfriend's movements; still she carried a certain air while she trained. "Notice no marks on the tree." Yuuto nodded. "I'm going to do the exact same attack." Yuuto then noticed that Hancock made the same motions ending with an open palm toward the tree.

At the end, the tree then slightly budged and there was a scratch.

Yuuto cried out. "You used the same amount of force as you did last time. But you used armament Haki?" He sensed that.

Hancock smiled at him. "Right. We're going to use our strikes and extend Haki out from our strikes. This is good for deflecting."

"Or pushing people away." Yuuto had seen that before.

"Correct. I'm still trying to master this; I only seem to be able to do this with Piguaquan. It's much easier." She looked at him and he nodded seeing a possible reasoning behind it. The strikes the two had ended with a simple push as if an extension to themselves. "I'm sure you can apply this to Bajiquan."

He nodded and began training on a nearby tree. Hancock did the same. After they warmed up some of their katas, Hancock moved a couple feet away from a tree to practice extending Armament Haki. Yuuto mirrored after.

After two hours, they stopped and started their picnic. They didn't make much progress in using advanced Haki, but at least they honed their craft with each particular motion.

"Only a year left." Yuuto called out while massaging one of her hands to help recover her muscles. He didn't want to leave her, but his crew was just as important as she was. It felt so long away but he knew how fast a year could be.

"Just a year left." Hancock called out while enjoying this moment now. She was sad knowing they weren't going to be together as often. Still, she was happy for the memories they made and the pictures she started taking a month after of them two.

"Remember that you could offer to chase after us once the Strawhats make their comeback." Yuuto reminded her. She could volunteer to be the one to take them down and serve as a secret spy for them for the Marines. If she chased after them, he would fight with her. He chuckled back remembering their spars they had. At first, she held back not wanting to hurt him. However, she realized she could nurse him back to health if she hurt him enough. To her, it was just an excuse to spend more time together.

Yuuto knew he had to get stronger if she was winning most of their fights. He knew it wasn't a good thing because she would win any future argument they would ever have even though he was sure he wasn't going to win any to begin with.

Still, at least she nursed him after she beat him. He had a couple dreams of her in a nurse outfit because of that.

"You already made my vivre card." He remembered how Hancock told him that she put it in a glass container by her bed so it wouldn't touch ever touch dust. She treated it as if it was holy. He chuckled.

He put her vivre card in a necklace he got. He told her so that it would always be close to him and on his heart. He knew that was corny, but to see her blush at that was worth it.

"We already got a White Den Den mushi for our calls." Hancock had mentioned the marines had plenty of black den den mushis to intercept calls. It was meant to be a secret to the world, which she was ok with. They would openly reveal the relationship when Luffy became a Gonko. "I plan on calling you almost whenever is a good time for me." Yuuto added.

"Once every hour?" Hancock asked hopefully.

Yuuto sighed. "I don't think that's possible. I'm going to try to call every day." He was being honest. Even if Hancock was clingy or needy, he didn't mind. He liked that about her.

She sighed understanding. "But it's not the same."

"It's not, but remember that once Luffy officially becomes Gonko, you can join us." Yuuto said. He was looking forward to her joining the crew. "I can't wait to imagine the look on the World Government's faces when they find out."

"And then we'll be married." Hancock said happily.

Yuuto nodded. "I have to actually propose first. But we'll be married soon." Yuuto stopped massaging her hand. He was lucky that he didn't have to be worry about her saying no. Still, he had to ask the people who knew him best something.

She had been making preparations for the wedding. "How does one propose according to your culture?" She asked him for the fiftieth or sixtieth time; she lost count. Interestingly enough, the books she had about man culture never showed her the proposal. She only saw the wedding ceremonies.

Yuuto smiled at her. "I'll keep that a secret. You'll know it when you see it." He tossed her an apple from the basket as she caught it. She blushed looking at the apple and its implications.

It was hard for him to propose if he didn't have a ring. He figured out her ring size enough times by holding her hand. There was no way he could get one here with no jeweler. He wanted it to be a surprise.

"I say yes!" Hancock yelled excitedly with her face red, as she was looking at the apple. Yuuto looked confused which Hancock noticed. "Were you not proposing to me just now?" She asked a little disappointed. She thought wrong.

Yuuto shook his head confused. Hancock's shoulders dropped. "Elder Nyon told me that there was an ancient tradition about tossing an apple as a marriage a proposal." She said disappointingly.

Yuuto sweat dropped. "I did not know that." He just crushed his girl's hopes. "That was not meant to be my proposal Hancock-chan." She looked dejected and her hands to reassure her. "I promise you. My proposal will be more meaningful to you. It's something you can keep forever."

She sighed slightly disappointed but hoped it was worth it. "I don't mind this. After all, your apples were my favorite back then." She looked at the apple she was given and decided to keep it as long as she could.

Yuuto could only look away as he considered how lucky he was. He didn't have to worry about her saying no. "It will be worth it. Trust me." He had begun planning it out. The problem was getting a diamond ring that would look great on her.[2]

* * *

Day 382

Robin looked happy at what the Revolutionaries had finished. It was her opportunity for the world to hear her side of the story.

She looked at the book's title. _The Pursuit of Knowledge._

The book she and the Revolutionaries had collaborated were secretly about her and her experience starting from Ohara.

The problem was everything else has to be hidden. The government was going to censor it if her name was used or if the government was depicted negatively. She couldn't use marines directly.

Another way was to pass the book off as "fiction."

Even with this indirect way, at least it will start to be revealed. She may reveal the identity when they were strong.

The protagonist was based off of herself. The protagonist was about an orphan girl who was always alone but found comfort in discovering the truth about her mother. Her mother was a researcher who always wanted to know the truth behind a religious order.

The protagonist discovering her mother's will wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps.

Eventually, the antagonists found out and ordered to kill her. The antagonists she described were blind followers of a holy but corrupt order. The antagonists came to her hometown and brutally slaughtered everyone there, but only she escaped.

The protagonist's picture is taken and reported across the whole world. The holy order is convinced that she's a heretic even worse a demon and the news believe it. She isn't able to trust anyone until she meets a naive group of adventurers who don't really pay attention to the news but take her in.

After a while, the group does learn of her history, but they don't care about her past, realizing that she's one of them. The group does protect her while helping her with her dreams.

That was the summary about her first book. She would have to continue writing the book by herself if it became more popular and when she finished her adventures.

She looked around her and couldn't think of a pen name. She was going to use her mother's name to honor her. It was what she wanted.

What surname could she use?

She looked at the bounties of her crew she had on her wall. She smiled fondly at them. Maybe she could use a couple of the names of the crew in her story. It was because of them she could still be here today.

She decided on a pen name.

Roronoa Olvia.

Roronoa was the only surname of the crew she thought would have fit. Monkey would have been awkward. Kaiya was associated with the Chasers. Cutty didn't really flow well with Olvia. Tony Tony was a little silly in her opinion. Nami and Usopp were orphans.

She wondered what Zoro would think if he found out. It would be fun to tease him about it.

She smiled thinking about some of their private conversations. She missed talking to him. They had a special bond since Skypiea. She felt that she opened up to him first and he eventually opened up to her.

Especially considering the fact that he changed his mind after the initial suspicions. He became a close confidant, and she was sure it worked both ways.

She sighed. Focusing on the book again, she couldn't use Nami's name as the main character. She was tempted to in the beginning. But using Roronoa and adding Nami's name also would have given enough clues to tell the government that the book was involved with the Strawhats. What about someone from their adventures?

She crossed out Vivi immediately because Vivi probably hated her for what she did. She never meant to hurt her so much but she was under orders from Crocodile.

The only other girl names she could remember were Conis, Kokoro, Camie, Chimney, and Lola.

After deciding between Conis and Kokoro, she went with the name Kokoro because of what happened in Water Seven. That was the time she knew for sure that the Straw Hats cared for her.

* * *

Day 391

A small pink haired girl who looked like she was 5 started crying. "Daddy. Where are you?"

A nearby marine looked at the young girl. "Girl are you lost?"

Some sniffles. "My dad told me that we were moving to Vanilla Town? I lost him. He was going to the ride the boat."

The marine looked shocked. "The boat is scheduled to leave in ten minutes." He knelt over. "Climb on my back. I'll run to the docks."

The marine made it to the dock in four minutes. "Here you go." As he escorted the little girl to the ticket collector, he explained, "Sir, this little girl is moving to Vanilla Island with her father. Her father might already be on the ship."

The ticket collector looked down and smiled. "Do you have a ticket little princess?"

The little girl stopped sniffling and shook her head. "My father didn't give me one."

He grimaced. "I'm sorry sir. I can't let her on."

At that, the little girl started crying. "I want to see my daddy. He's moving to Vanilla Island for his new job."

The marine and the ticket collector looked at each awkwardly realizing the hold up. The ticket collector gave in, not seeing why she would lie. "Fine. You can come on board."

The little girl immediately smiled and went up to the ship. She waved. "Thank you!"

At that moment, the marine got a notice. "We found one of the Bonney Pirates. We request backup now at 8th Street."

The marine waved good-bye and left. The ticket collector closed his eyes and didn't find the little girl. He saw a taller pink haired girl. When he checked his eyes, he saw the little girl again.

He shook his head realizing that he probably should drink less alcohol.

The little girl smiled slyly looking for some pizza to eat.

* * *

Day 408

"Zehahaha. So you quit the marines."

A tall man with burnt scars sighed quietly. "Arara." He didn't expect to find them so quickly. The tall man gave an icy stare before starting his reply. "Let me join you."

* * *

Day 427

"Hey Mihawk. Let's party!" Shanks called out. He had wondered why Mihawk hadn't come to visit him during the last year, so he decided to bring the party to him.

Zoro was confused. This was his captain's role model? Still, he could sense how strong each and everyone was. All the other pirates were drinking around Mihawk's looked particularly at a man who reminded him of Usopp.

Mihawk glared as if he knew what was going to happen. "Leave. I'm busy." He didn't have time for this.

"What. You can't be too busy." Shanks said already drunk. "What do you have some secret girlfriend?"

"Who's there?" Perona asked. She appeared before them.

"Wow. You actually do." Shanks examined her. "Isn't she a bit young for your taste? I didn't know-"

He took the negative hollows. "I'm sorry. I'm not worthy of even being a speck of dust in this place." He then quickly returned to being normal and looked at Zoro. "Hey. You look familiar."

"I'm Roronoa Zoro."

At that moment, the Red Hair Pirates stopped for a brief moment before they yelled eagerly.

"He's one of Luffy's pirates." One of them recognized.

"We really have a reason to party now!"

"Wow so this is Anchor's Swordsman."

"Anchor?" Zoro asked.

"That was our nickname for him." Said the man that looked like Usopp. "The name's Yasopp." He took a hand out. "You know. You look like you're around my son's age."

Zoro remembered something "Are you Yasopp? Your son Usopp's also in the crew."

Lucky Roo gave a big gulp. "Everyone. We're having a bigger party now. Bring more meat!"

Yasopp cried hearing that. "Everyone you hear that. My son's a pirate now!" The other men laughed ready to hear his stories again. "I told you that Sogeking was him. He has his mom's nose."

Zoro looked away. He sensed how strong they were.

Shanks pulled him aside. "Hey. Where are you going now? We'd love to chat with you and see how Luffy and his crew are doing?"

"I don't know." Zoro gruffly said. He hadn't seen them in over a year now.

"Sheesh. Why are you in a bad mood? You're like Mihawk you know that. All work and no play." Mihawk glared at him resenting that comment. Shanks looked at him. "Tell you what. Beat me in a duel you can go train, if you can't then come drink with us."

Zoro thought about it. He could tell he was stronger but Shanks was obviously drunk. The strong scent of alcohol was there. This was going to easy.

"Sure."

Mihawk sighed. Knowing that his own apprentice had fallen for Shanks' trap. He took a cup of wine for the eventual beat down was going to happen.

A couple minutes later

Zoro laid on his back while Shanks just looked at him. What the hell?

"Guess, you're partying with us now!"

"What. That wasn't a duel." Zoro refused to believed he had lost. How could he lose to a drunkard?

"What made you think we were going to fight?" The duel ended up becoming a rock paper scissor contest.

"This is stupid." Zoro tried to leave. However he was held up by a voice. He would have won if he could Observation Haki better. There was no way that he lost 18 times in a row to a drunk.

"Listen." It was still Shanks but he sounded different. "It's ok to train to protect the things precious to you." Zoro nodded. "But don't forget to enjoy the time you can spend with them." He then smiled. "So drink up and have fun." He lifted up a glass.

Zoro, who was handed a glass, drank. Maybe, he could take one day off. He looked at some of the pirates who were about to ruin some of the books in Mihawk's library.

"Hey. Don't do that!" He shouted out surprised. He was defending books he didn't even read. Why?

Mihawk looked curious at that. He knew that Zoro didn't even read.

Zoro paused. He looked at the books and realized some of them would make a good present to some of his crew members. There were books about weather, medicine, and history that they might like. He really missed them.

"They're for my nakama." He smiled wishing that he could enjoy time right now with them.

"He didn't even ask me if he could take them." Mihawk sighed. His guests really needed to learn some manners here.

* * *

Day 475

Chopper smiled at Crusher's improvements. Crusher had successfully imitated whatever Chopper did.

It took a lot of practice and explaining but Crusher understood some manners and etiquette. Chopper told him that he could make friends this way. Now it was time for Crusher to practice by himself in Beast Point.

Chopper could only feel like a dad who was letting his child ride a bicycle for the first time. Still, he had to do something. Crusher followed every Chopper's instructions and motions.

"Good. Now say Hi." Chopper waved.

" **Good. Now say Hi."** Crusher mimicked to Shanba, Chopper's closest human friend on the island.

Shanba was still scared of the Beast Point appearance. "Chopper are you still there?" He was aware of the multiple personality disorder. Chopper told him about how Crusher was trying to imitate him.

Chopper sweatdropped. "Yes. I am!"

" **Yes. I am!"** Crusher repeated out loud. It was a slight lie; Crusher was just imitating him.

Torino nodded. "That's good. Let's try playing with this big ball." He lifted it up and tossed it to him.

Crusher mentally told Chopper. **"It's working."** He was excited to have a first physical friend before remembering that he needed to copy what Chopper did.

"Just remember to catch it and gently throw it." Chopper encouraged.

Crusher nodded. **"Just remember to catch it and gently throw it."** Chopper facepalmed trying to signal that Crusher didn't have to copy it.

It didn't work because Crusher was distracted and didn't catch the ball and the ball popped.

Chopper looked worried at Crusher. There was a look of shock and dismay. Typically he got angry when these things happen. "Calm down."

At that, Crusher mentally started smashing the ground before he mentally went to sleep. After he transformed back, Crusher typically went to sleep.

Chopper sighed. At least the time had just run out and now he just had to wait.

After a couple moments, Shanba ran over. "It's ok Tanuki. We'll get that form of yours under control."

Chopper couldn't even growl to correct him.

* * *

Day 531

Nami had been sighing for the umpteenth time.

Some of the scientists at Weatheria had been asking her for help with their wives. What was annoying was that they all had a similar problem. They did not spend enough time with their wives.

Nami had actually gotten to know their wives. Their wives had thought it was weird for a teenage girl to be working with old men. However, Nami made it clear to them that she wasn't interested in them and she could defend herself if she was taken advantage.

Since then, the wives started carrying anything that resembled a small staff. Their husbands cowered in fear as they saw that.

The first suggestion she made was to their husbands was to go on a date with their wives.

On the next day, when one came back, he told her that the date was unsuccessful.

Nami sighed and looked at them. "What did she wear when you went on the date?" She asked. She could already feel a headache coming in. At least it felt like she was back on the Sunny a little bit.

"She wore an old formal blouse she got for Christmas. It still looked nice."

Nami looked annoyed seeing what was going on. "What did you wear?" Nami asked.

"Just my normal clothes. You know the ones I wear to work."

Nami sighed before beating him up. The others looked scared. "Girls would like it if you dress more special for them for the occasion. Be more fashionable." She chastised them.

She couldn't help but sigh at that. It's not like Luffy would ever do that. She reminded herself; she was trying to get over her feelings about Luffy. He wouldn't ever look his way toward her. Still, he was her captain and someone she wanted to always be friends with. At least, she could sail with him.

Anyways, she lived with the people of Weatheria for more than a year and knew they were not fashionable seeing their lame wizard-like clothes.

"Did you even compliment them about what they wore?" Seeing them shake their heads, she continued. "Why do you think I care so much about what I wear?" She added.

One said. "Because you like clothes."

She sighed. Yes she loved clothes. "I do, but I want to be complimented wearing them as well. Wouldn't you like it if I complimented on your new clothes? It gives a sense of confidence." A girl did want to know that she looked pretty. "You don't have to compliment every outfit. Be genuine about the compliments you give out." It was hard to take Sanji's compliments seriously when he probably gave compliments to every pair of breasts he saw. "But don't make it awkward."

The men nodded, taking her words of wisdom for next time.

Her advice reminded her; she needed to see if she could find an outfit when she reunited with her crew. She needed something to show that she had grown during the last two years.

* * *

Day 548

"Alright Luffy-kun." Rayleigh waved. "I'll see you in 6 months. I look forward to seeing how much stronger you become."

He then turned to Yuuto and Hancock. "Don't distract him too much. Actually teach him how to use his brain." He commented. Both of them blushed. They both knew that they needed to minimize the public display of affection in front of other people. Hancock had a harder time with that.

The good news was that they didn't have make out sessions unless they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.

Yuuto sighed. "I'll tell you when you're ready Luffy." Luffy was clueless about love.

* * *

Day 568

Robin smiled at the Poneglyphs the revolutionaries made a copy for her.

The Revolutionary Army was just as curious about the Void Century when she mentioned why she was interested in the Poneglyphs.

Maybe this would be another clue as to what happened all those years ago.

* * *

Day 571

Franky decided to look at the third and final computer Vegapunk had. It was the one that had all his designs for miscellaneous inventions.

Who knew what he could do with that?

Maybe there was a way to modify the designs in a way to be more useful in their adventures?

Perhaps there was a way to use an oven more efficiently? He'd ask Sanji's perspective as well. Maybe, he could find a way to weaponize the heat.

Maybe there was a way for him to record Brook's music. Franky sighed; he missed the jam sessions he had with Brook.

He would memorize any ideas and see if they could be implemented elsewhere. He sighed. Maybe he needed some robot assistants to help out with maintaining the ship or ammo.

* * *

Day 572

It was the day of their one year anniversary. Hancock had been looking forward to this. She had no idea what was going to happen, but it seemed that Yuuto had been working on a surprise that she wasn't allowed to know.

She just hoped whatever it was it was going to be good.

Every time, she saw Yuuto during the last week he looked nervous about it.

Maybe, he was going to propose. She mentally squealed at that possibility.

Yuuto promised that they would start celebrating their anniversary when it was 5 PM. She looked at the clock. Only five more minutes.

As she was waiting in her room working on the paperwork, she heard a knock.

"Hancock." She heard. It sounded like him. He was early. "I know I'm early, but I'm ready now."

The paperwork could wait. It was only due next week anyway. "Yuuto. Let me clean up." She hadn't opened the door yet.

"Great. Let me get things set up. Is it ok we have the surprise in my room?"

Hancock blushed at that implication. What were they going to do?

"It's best that no one sees this." Yuuto paused not realizing he walked into a trap.

Hancock had heard about this. She blushed. Was that? She didn't think they were going to do this until they got married. This must be - Yuuto quickly spoke up realizing how that sounded. "I'm going to do something about the Gorgon's curse." Yuuto mentally slapped himself.

On one side of the door, Yuuto realized how in normal society that sounded like they were going to have sex; he hoped she thought it was a body massage that she wanted. While he did have urges, they both agreed to wait until marriage before having sex. Although scared about whether he would be a good father, Yuuto wanted to be by her side in case she got pregnant to help take care of her.

On the other side, Hancock blushed thinking that they were going to do the sacred ritual to produce kids. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to have kids. Hancock broke the silence. "Ok?" What was he going to do with the Hoof?

"Alright. Meet me there." She heard running footsteps.

As she packed her things to calm down and made her way to his room, she knocked and he immediately opened. "Come in. Let's get this done first and then we can enjoy the rest of the evening." He tried to remain calm.

Hancock nodded curious. Realizing it was her first time in his room, she entered in carefully entering unknown territory. His room layout was simple. There was a bed and a small desk with bookshelves of the information he wrote according to the information she gave him. Still, she noticed the table, mirrors, and an iron brand that was set up in a particular way that didn't fit with the rest of the room.

"So I was thinking that I could give you a different mark to cover up your … curse" She nodded appreciating that he didn't call it by its real name. She was depressed about having this constant reminder. Yuuto always cheered her up and noticed that Yuuto didn't wear the Chaser mask as he did before.

He gulped. "You're going to need to take off your blouse and lie on the table with your chest facing down. You're ok with that right." She nodded. "Ok. Call me in when you're ready." He then closed the door giving her a moment to do so. Hancock blushed and felt embarrassed. She hated being naked to expose her back to anyone. At least, Yuuto knew her secret and it would now be gone now.

As she began to undress, she could hear some faint slaps of Yuuto slapping his face outside. They never saw each other fully naked.

She called out. "I'm ready."

Just as the door knob turned, before he fully opened, Yuuto called out. "Are you on the table?"

She sat on the table. "I'm on the table now."

As he breathed a sigh of relief, he opened the door and turned away immediately embarrassed. "Lie on the table, facing the floor." He was having a nosebleed seeing her half naked. He didn't want to see her half naked until they were ready for the next step.

Hancock could only suppress a giggle at his reaction. It looks like she found something to tease him about. Even though she didn't like being naked, it made her happy to know that it was her body that made him act like that. Yuuto had explained to her clearly that he truly loved her not just for her looks but also for her personality. Her relationship with Yuuto wasn't just physical; it was also emotional and mental.

"There. I did what you asked. I'm facing the floor now" She promised him. She heard careful footsteps as Yuuto entered in. This was the first time he saw the complete mark on her back. He slowly approached and traced its outline. To which Hancock audibly gasped at his touch. Yuuto pulled away immediately. His touch felt warm.

"Sorry." Yuuto pointed out. "It's just that - I want to let you know that you don't have to live with that mark anymore."

She nodded. "Are you ready?" He asked. "This is going to hurt a lot." As he got the branding iron ready. He had spent the last couple weeks secretly shaping the brand, making sure it was perfect and large enough to cover it.

"What's going to be the new symbol?" Hancock asked.

"That's going to be a surprise." Yuuto answered back. "Trust me. You'll like it." He reached for the branding iron that had already heated up. "Ready?"

Hancock grabbed onto his blankets. "I'm ready." She was prepared for the incoming pain. Yuuto handed her a pillow.

"Scream in this ok?" She nodded ready. Yuuto then carefully placed the brand over her mark. Hancock let out an ear piercing scream that was quickly muffled by the pillow, grabbing it tighter. After two seconds, he dropped the iron brand in a bucket of water to cool it. "It's done." He quickly administered some cold water he had nearby.

Hancock didn't lose consciousness and looked up in the mirrors. The mirrors were arranged to reflect each other so she could see her back. It was gone. Her new symbol looked like the moon. She smiled at that symbol before turning to him.

"Wait. I haven't-" He couldn't finish as she hugged him and started kissing him on the lips quickly.

Yuuto, with his face really red at her half naked state and feeling her body, moved away from the kiss to remind her. "Hancock, you need to lie down. Your burns-" Although embarrassed about seeing her half naked, he was more concerned about her injuries.

She put a finger to his mouth interrupting him. With joyful tears in her eyes, she cried out. "Thank you." There was no more proof of her life as a slave. "This is the best gift you could have given me."

Yuuto blushed. He already had a nice gift. The view was terrific he mentally thought. "Can you turn back?" Hancock nodded and did so. "You're going to do this for your sisters, because I'm not doing this for them. It should take at most five days to fully heal."

Hancock nodded happily. She didn't want Yuuto to see her sisters or anyone else half naked.

As he continued pouring cold water, he continued. "I'm sorry it took so long to get rid of this. But I wanted to make sure this was right." He said it in a way that he showed that understood some of her insecurities.

Hancock smiled. "It's fine. I'm happy you chose this day." The timing was good now. It could have been earlier, but she supposed it was symbolic to do it on their anniversary, the day they accepted each other. Her Yuuto was really sentimental and thoughtful with the moon. Perhaps that's why he stopped wearing the Chaser mask around. She asked. "Why did you stop wearing your mask?"

Yuuto then quickly applied some burn cream for a moment before continuing. "I didn't want that to remind you of your pain." He continued massaging until he added cream on every inch of the new burn.

Hancock pondered realizing his own pain. "Do you still have the mask?" She asked him as he put on the cap of the ointment.

"Yes." He looked at her as she straightened up.

"Why don't you throw it away?" She asked.

"Let me start bandaging you up before we do that." She nodded as he helped her.

He soon finished. "Here's your blouse." He handed the shirt back to her as she changed. He wasn't as embarrassed as before. Yuuto asked. "If you want," he looked away as she put her clothes on. "Let me know if you need me to change your bandages."

Hancock smiled at that. "I wasn't going to ask anyone else other than you." She found the Chaser mask and picked it up. "Are you ready to move on also?" Yuuto nodded as she handed it to him.

Yuuto also grabbed onto it. "Let's crush it together." Hancock nodded. They were moving on from their past together.

They broke the mask. After a couple seconds, Yuuto smiled. "I guess I won't be keeping how I look a secret anymore."

Hancock smiled but then realized something. "I would prefer that you do. I don't want any other woman to fall in love with your face."

Yuuto laughed. "I still want to use a fox mask then. Or would you prefer if I used a snake mask." He paused. "How do you feel? I wasn't sure how you would feel after this."

"I'm happy, but it does hurt a little bit to move." The burn marks still hurt.

They looked at the time. It was only 5:30. "What's the plan for the rest of the day?" Hancock asked.

"I didn't think you'd want hotpot this time." She nodded; that made sense. "I was thinking of cold noodles with chicken." She nodded that sounded good. "After that, I thought we should take it easy and just talk. No sparing or training today. The next couple days, I'll train by myself." He looked at her.

She smiled. Normally, at night they would continue sparring or practice archery together for at least 3 hours. After training they would then have conversations that lasted another hour ending with a kiss. Seeing that she wasn't in the condition to fight or train, she agreed "Let me bring my camera." He nodded. She went to her room excited to take pictures of what they were going to do.

Yuuto breathed out. If only they weren't on this island, he would have taken her to some place more special or introduce her to some things not on this island. Still, he was happy with the way it worked out.

* * *

Day 621

Law arrived at his destination. He had become Shichibukai and could finally go where to begin his plans.

"I'm finally here." He grinned. It would only be a matter of time before he could set his plans in motion.

He landed on the snowing island that was mostly abandoned. He could only give a smug smirk as he sensed a green haired woman who questioned him.

"What are you doing here?"

* * *

Day 648

A blue haired princess read carefully the news to see if there were any updates about her favorite pirate crew. She wanted to know if they were continuing their adventures again so she could with them again.

Her pet duck had been collecting any news of them in a scrapbook.

She prayed earnestly hoping that Luffy, Nami, and Mr. Fox were ok.

* * *

Day 675

"I should get ready." Chopper looked. "Those idiots are going to need so much medicine." He started preparing the medicine for their journey.

As he thought about them, he imagined. "Calling me doctor won't make me happy you idiots."

He preferred being called doctor over tanuki.

* * *

Day 694

A fishman waited in a forest.

"I have to apologize to Luffy-kun and Yuuto-san. I won't be able to meet them until the princes give them my message."

* * *

Day 720

Zoro was about ready to leave to meet his crew.

"Wait." Mihawk called out. "Let's have one final duel. Just to see how far you've come."

Zoro nodded and put on his bandana. "Who knows. Maybe I'll be the World's Strongest Swordsman after this." He gave a cocky grin with both eyes.

Mihawk grinned. "Maybe." Zoro could definitely give him a challenge. Still, he needed to prepare himself.

They clashed one more time.

* * *

Day 721

Franky smiled as he set out on the boat.

The ship had enough space to carry his new vehicles with him. Once the ship landed on Sabaody island, he could drive each vehicle and the small robot helpers he had to the Thousand Sunny.

The small robot helpers were meant to help carry heavy objects and maintain the ship.

He smiled. Eager to see the excited looks everyone was going to have about his new gizmos.

* * *

Day 723

"Nami-san!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave now." Nami waved bye to her friends at Weatheria. "Thank you for taking care of me the last two years." She bowed before them.

"You're such a good girl."

"It's going to be a bit more lonely without you here."

"Don't let your wife catch you saying that." Nami stuck her tongue out at them. She was slightly sad that she had to leave them but couldn't help be happier that she would see the entire crew.

It had been a long two years since she yelled at them. She laughed in eager anticipation.

* * *

Day 727

"Bye Tanuki!"

Chopper had finished tying his packages. He had learned how to grow certain plants for medicine. He also spent the last month making bandages, medicine, ointments, and salves in preparation for the journey.

"I'm not a Tanuki!" He yelled out. As he got on the bird.

He mentally spoke to Crusher. "You're going to meet our friends who will care for you."

Crusher smiled gleefully. " **Friends."**

* * *

Day 728

Sanji panted. He did it. He conquered this hell in the nick of time. He had obtained all 62 recipes.

He smiled. Now it was time to be rewarded. He couldn't wait until he saw Nami-san and Robin-chan.

"Sanji-kun! We'll leave immediately." For the first time, he ran to the okamas where the ship was.

He sobbed victoriously. He was finally free from this hell hole.

* * *

Day 730

A boat carrying 4 fugitives left the borders of Wano, not knowing the impact of the future laid before them.

[3]

* * *

Day 730

"Luffy. It's time." Yuuto called out. Hancock was by his side. Behind her was a large backpack for her beloved's journey.

It was practical for the most part. It was filled with notes about the Yonko, Shichibukai, Revolutionaries, and the Marines that the two compiled over the years. It also had some martial arts scrolls fur Yuuto. It had Yuuto's archery equipment and 8 seastone handcuffs that Hancock gave him from the "loot" she did.

There were also 2 scrapbooks of pictures of both of them in the backpack.

Yuuto was sure he made a plan good enough to make Luffy recognized as a Gonko. He was ready to protect him as his bodyguard.

Luffy picked up his hat and placed it on himself. "Shishi. I can't wait to see everybody and how strong everyone is." As he raised his fists in the air, he was sure he was going to become Pirate King.

* * *

[1]

Boa Hancock does go off the island. I'm sure she has to go to certain countries and visits marine bases as well.

That information she gets will play a role in my story and cause them to go on certain adventures.

Look forward to after Fishman Island because Yuuto wants to make detours to "random" islands.

About the Kuja culture, I have my own theories about it. I'm making a valid reason why they want to be separated and isolated.

Nyon told him privately. It does make him super protective as well.

[2]

Bajiquan the style that Yuuto uses is the style Akira Yuki (Virtua fighter), Kokoro (Dead or Alive), Leo and Julia Chang, (Tekken), Yun and Yang (Street Fighter) and Li Mei (Mortal Kombat).

Piguaquan the style that Hancock uses is the style Ling Xiaoyu (Tekken), Helena (Dead or Alive), and Hotaru (Mortal Kombat). Out of the martial arts I've seen, it's the one that looks the most elegant in my opinion which fits her.

I planned these two fighting styles because they're actually complementary fighting styles.

It was also my luck that these strikes look good to use Advanced Armament Haki.

I also imagine Hancock knowing She Quan (snake fist). Christie (Dead or alive) Shang Tsung (Mortal Kombat). Lei Wulong (Tekken) uses it as well.

In Ancient Greece, a marriage proposal was a man throwing an apple and the wife had to catch it.

Thought it made sense because there are elements of Greek culture in these two characters.

[3]

Hope you guys noticed the "random people" involved. Those are the people who play an important role in the future albeit far from now. You should know about them.

I will actually start rewriting some parts of my stories from the beginning as I write the next chapters. Expect slower updates now.

Please leave a review! Next Chapter we're going back to Sabaody!


	39. Chapter 39 Return to Sabaody

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own One Piece, chapter 942, or episode 883.

Only a Zoro Keychain.

Yeah, it's been a while, but I'm still here. I've been busy with real life and work. However, I still plan on writing my story. I'm still rewriting the beginning.

Onward to the story.

* * *

Return to Sabaody

The Kuja ship approached Sabaody about 500 meters away.

"This is the farthest I can go. We still have to keep our relationship a secret." Hancock paused. "Don't worry the Kuja Pirates will come to your aid if you need it."

"Just chase after us after Fishman island." Yuuto asked. "Hancock-chan."

"I have to get that approved first." A slight pause. Hancock sighed out. "Yuuto-kun."

Luffy, actually understanding they wanted a moment of privacy, knew he needed to leave. He had been warned enough times. "I'll get going first." The Kuja pirates had started waving bye to Luffy. They liked Luffy better than Yuuto because Luffy talked to them more than Yuuto did.

Hancock beat them if they did while Yuuto would try and maintain his distance away.

"Wait Luffy. Make sure you take care of Yuuto-kun." Hancock also gave him a fake mustache before he left. "Otherwise, I'll go Luffy hunting." She threatened him with her eyes closed. Luffy gulped seeing that.

Despite the animosity given, Hancock believed that Luffy would become Pirate King. There was a certain aura that Luffy had with regards to his dream. It became more obvious to her during the last six months.

Luffy shuddered at the threat he felt and nervously laughed. "He's supposed to take care of me. He's my bodyguard remember. Anyways, remember that you're welcome to join my crew!" He added the last part and quickly jumped down not wanting to get in trouble with Hancock.

Yuuto sighed. "That's if you can stay out of trouble." He called out to him. He liked having a protective girlfriend; it kind of felt like having a lawyer by your side all the time. He looked over to see that his captain landed on the boat. "I'll catch up Luffy." Yuuto called out as Luffy left by boat with a small backpack.

Elder Nyon sighed. "Everyone. Let's give them a moment of privacy."

As the other pirates went down in the ship, Hancock sighed. Yuuto put his arm over her back. He whispered to her ear. "Don't worry. Worst case scenario, it'll only be a couple months. Best case, you chase after us and we spend time together 'sparing' each other."

Hancock sighed. "I know."

"Hard to believe it's been two years. I never thought the end of the two years we'd be courting." Yuuto confessed as he held her hand. She nodded at that agreeing. "I thought I'd be your slave or servant still."

Hancock nodded. It was interesting how life worked. "I never thought being with you would be so -." Yuuto looked at her. "Peaceful. And now you have to leave." Her disease didn't strike her this time. When she asked Nyon why her sickness hadn't struck again, Nyon explained that it was because her love had been reciprocated.

"We'll be reunited for real once Luffy becomes a Gonko. That should only take about three months if we planned it right."

Hancock nodded and knew he had to leave soon. "Just promise me one thing. Leave without saying farewell. I can't-"

Yuuto interrupted her with a quick kiss stopping her from speaking. "Don't worry. I'll see you soon Hancock-chan." This wasn't good-bye.

Before he could skywalk away, Hancock grabbed his arm. He turned around. She kissed him back quickly and whispered. "I'll see you soon Yuuto-kun."

They both nodded. With a heavy heart, Yuuto skywalked away knowing the longer he stayed the more doubts he would have.

Elder Nyon peered from her corner. "Girls, it's safe to come out now."

They all waved good-bye to Yuuto. Sandersonia and Marigold went by to comfort Hancock who was taking it better than expected. "Sister."

"Don't." She smiled sadly. "I'm fine." She said as she reminisced the times she spent with Yuuto. She could only look forward to one day when they could reunite.

* * *

Thousand Sunny

Yuuto went straight to the ship. He sensed a familiar presence on the ship.

"Yuuto! I thought you'd be actually be wearing your mask when we meet or talk on the watches. Don't tell me you broke your watch too?"

He grinned and saw Franky, who was larger than he remembered. "Franky. I got some information I need to be sorted out. Take a look at it. It'll help Luffy." He hoped he remembered correctly that Franky could use the technology. He sensed around. "It's just like Luffy not to be here yet. He left before me." He put his backpack down and took giant binders he and Hancock had compiled.

Franky nodded and used the watch. " _Yuuto's here. All that's left is Robin and Luffy to come to the ship."_ Yuuto nodded realizing that it was a watch and not necklace.

"Sorry Franky. Guess you and Usopp are going to need to make that for me again. Luffy was with me those two years."

Franky waved his hand off. "It's been two years I expected it. The only ones who kept it intact was Nami so far. Everyone else got their broken. Good thing I made newer models." Yuuto laughed. It sounded like Nami would keep it safe.

Yuuto passed him some other CDs Hancock sneakily stole from the Marine bases and the CD he got from Impel Down. He also took a scrap of paper and wrote something down before handing it. Franky looked astonished and remembered something Yuuto mentioned. "Wait. You were with Luffy? Where did you two go?"

Yuuto smiled. He had stories to tell. "I'll tell you when everyone comes back. Actually. Let me talk to Rayleigh a bit. I'll get everyone else afterward."

"Well, we might not have Brook coming with us." Franky handed him a flyer.

Yuuto looked at the flyer and waved it off. "I see. Well, if he's here then, we'll probably see him at least." He didn't know how good Brook was as a musician.

As Yuuto skywalked off, Franky stood confused reading what Yuuto just passed him. It seemed Yuuto switched what he wanted him and Usopp do. He should be the one making seawater missiles and Usopp should be the one making arrows. The good news was that he already made seawater missiles.

Ah well, his job was already done. He reflected on how Yuuto seemed to have changed since he last saw him.

Yuuto's eyes not only showed strength but also showed peace. Yuuto's demeanor also seemed less serious.

* * *

At a bar

Nami was drinking at a bar gathering some information about the world. It was hard for her to keep with current events since she was on Weatheria

She looked at a suspicious group and shook her head. That group decided to copy what they looked like.

The body sizes were off. She wanted to laugh at the large Luffy, ugly Nami, fat Sogeking, skinny Frank and a midget Yuuto wearing a dark blue fox mask. That was a complete contrast of what they were all really like. She felt insulted at the fake Nami. She was hideous.

The fake Luffy bragged about his accomplishments. He seemed manipulative and wanted to use other people's strengths.

She didn't need to say anything more about the fake Nami. The other two were quiet.

On the other hand, the fake Yuuto sounded stupid and repeated everything that the fake Luffy said. Even then, he repeated it incorrectly. Yuuto didn't get information wrong unless he was told wrong.

Unfortunately she got the fake Luffy's attention.

"I'll tell you one more time. You're really not my type, so I'm not interested." She didn't want to be pursued by this fake Luffy. If these fakes were trying to rely on their name, they weren't that strong.

She didn't flinch at the fake Nami waving her gun at her. Before she could do anything to defend herself, something sprouted and entangled all of the fakes.

She was curious who defended her.

"Would you like a drink with me?" She smiled recognizing that voice and looked.

"Usopp!" She cried happily. "It's been forever. Look at you. You look a bit more manly." She said it in a way that showed she was proud of her younger brother. She hugged him happily.

"You've grown yourself!" Usopp secretly enjoying his position. Still, that was his sister figure he was talking about. As soon as she stopped hugging him, he recomposed himself. "Listen Nami. I'm no longer part of the Weakling Trio with you and Chopper. I graduated."

Nami smiled at that. If Usopp became more reliable, she couldn't wait to see the other crew members.

"Wait! Sogeking!" Usopp cried comically seeing Sogeking's mask.

She sweatdropped and dragged him out. She took care of their problem already. "Usopp. Let's go." She needed someone to carry her clothes that she just recently bought.

Nami recollected some of what she found out to him. He paid attention to the important details, not hearing the loud zap behind the bar they left.

It sounded like they needed to get out fast if marines were already here ready to catch them.

* * *

Outside Grove 12

Yuuto had been walking around before feeling like he was followed. The presence felt familiar though. He noticed the marines but ignored them. None of the marines knew how he looked like and weren't looking at him.

He didn't want to fight them in case he got a headache. He remembered Marineford and the previous Pacifista files Hancock found. There wasn't a way to get rid of whatever they did mentally.

As he walked into an alley, he said to the air. "Come out. I know you're there."

Hearing a familiar chuckle, he waited. "Here I thought I could sneak past you and your Observation Haki."

He smiled and turned around remembering that voice. "Robin!" He saw their archaeologist who grew out her hair. He mentally admitted that she looked pretty. However, she was nothing compared to Hancock.

"Yuuto!" She exclaimed while taking off her sunglasses. "I see you decided not to wear any disguises this time around."

Yuuto laughed. "I'll wear them when we start. It's not the same anymore. You know where Sunny is right?" She nodded. "Good. I'll meet you there. I'll find Luffy and the others. I think they got lost." She nodded and made her separate way.

Reflecting this entire situation triggered some of his memories. This was like his meeting with her before she joined the crew the first time.

"You don't have to bring a peace offering." He called out. Hoping that he was right.

She turned around slightly smiling. "I suppose it does bring back memories." She then disappeared in petals.

It seemed that some of his memories were correct. Still, Yuuto looked impressed what she just did. It seemed that Robin had a new trick up her sleeve. He continued his way to Rayleigh. [1]

* * *

Grove #46

After his conversation with Rayleigh and Shakky that consisted of both of them teasing him about Hancock, Yuuto was amused from hearing about the fake Straw Hats and the flyers being passed around. He decided to see the competition they would be up against.

He realized he could identify some of the pirates as if from memory. The bounties he had were off.

As he scoped out the competition, he felt disappointed. None of them felt they would give him and Luffy a real challenge.

Still, he would use this idea later on when they were to make their own allies.

Hancock and the Kuja pirates were already the first secret allies. He made Luffy swear on that secrecy; he knew his captain would take that seriously and never admit it to any possible enemies.

As he heard cries, he saw Luffy being brought in by a fake Sanji and Zoro. He facepalmed.

He was the one with the bad memory of his crew but even then he knew that's not how they would turn out to be after two years.

The fact that he saw a fake Black Fox, who was using a blue fox mask, pissed him off. He was never that small, scrawny, or stupid.

He bid his time wondering what to do. It would be easy for Luffy to use his Conqueror's Haki and take out the rest.

Too late, the marines and Pacifistas arrived. Only one person seemed strong.

Yuuto hoped he could manage his headache and began to run to get Luffy out. He felt two familiar presences come close by.

As the Pacifistas made quick work, they exposed who the fake Strawhats were.

Yuuto quickly grabbed Luffy and started running away.

Seeing Luffy escape, PX-5 fired at Yuuto who dodged every single one of them.

"Come on Yuuto. Let's just beat them up." Luffy called out.

"We can expose ourselves but let's not cause a lot of trouble." Yuuto said. He was willing to expose the Straw Hats so Hancock could start chasing after them. After that, they needed to lie under the radar until Luffy became Gonko.

"Hey Luffy! Yuuto!" Zoro cried out.

"Look. Yuuto's doing a better job now. He's getting Luffy out of trouble now" Sanji pointed out.

Yuuto smiled. He didn't mind them exposing his name. He was happy to see them again.

This whole sequence seemed familiar. [2]

As they caught up to them, Zoro and Sanji took down two Pacifistas blocking their way by themselves.

"Hey Luffy! Yuuto! You're number 9 and 10. Figure out who's 9 and 10." Zoro pointed out.

Yuuto smiled understanding what he meant. Rayleigh told him the order. "I'll be 10. Luffy came on the island before me." It was technically true. As they continued running, they noticed Luffy stopping by. They looked and saw Rayleigh who had come to see them off.

"Thanks so much Rayleigh! For everything you've done."

Rayleigh smiled, happy to help this next generation. "No need to be so formal." Yuuto could only smile at how much Luffy had matured a little.

"I'm gonna do it!" Zoro and Yuuto shared a grin knowing what was going to happen. "I'm going to become Pirate King!" Sanji smiled at that declaration. That's what they've all been training for.

Luffy and Rayleigh shared a look between the two. It was similar to a father and son moment. The son was getting ready to leave home and become a man.

"See you later." As Luffy reminisced fondly how Rayleigh would beat him down in order for him to master Observation Haki. He could actually see how it was for his benefit. Not like how Yuuto made Nami whack him to try and unlock Observation Haki.

Rayleigh nodded. He appreciated the meals the two had during the training time. Luffy really was like his old partner.

"Take Straw Hat down!" A marine barked out, ruining the moment.

The Straw Hat group continued running past as Rayleigh jumped down.

"Do as you please. But I suggest you not to cross this line." Rayleigh warned.

To this day, no one dared to cross that line. People always walked around it.

* * *

Back at Thousand Sunny

With most of the crew reunited except Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Yuuto, and Chopper, Brook couldn't wait any longer. "Can I see your panties Nami-san!"

Only to be met with a kick. Even though Nami was slightly annoyed, she could only smile a little bit.

It was just like old times even if they didn't grow up.

Robin silently laughed appreciating the fact that the crew didn't seem to change.

"Hey!" The crew below looked up. "I brought them here!" Chopper yelled excitedly on Zoro's shoulder. He was happy to see all of them reunite.

"We can start our adventure again." Usopp was eager to show his strength.

Franky looked up. "You guys look more manlier than ever." He could tell everyone who just arrived was stronger than before.

"Luffy-san. I've missed you so much." Brook started crying tears of joys of being reunited.

Luffy exclaimed happily. "Hey you guys!" He smiled seeing everyone.

At the bottom, only Nami couldn't help but match his enthusiasm. "Hey!" She was jumping up and down despite her wanting to remain calm meeting them. Luffy smiled broader seeing her first.

Glad the whole crew reunited, Zoro and Robin silently smiled in eager anticipation of what would happen next.

As the bird descended, Sanji couldn't hold it in and had a nosebleed. He was excited to finally see Nami and Robin, especially seeing how they blossomed. Yuuto caught him and sighed.

He heard him count. "One beautiful woman…."

Yuuto could only stare at him annoyed and threw him at the board. "Catch." He called out. Franky caught him while Usopp and Chopper looked over him.

Zoro could only laugh. He had an idea of a new nickname. As he descended, he made his way into the ship. He had to give some of his crew something he found in his travels.

As Chopper waved bye and wished the bird safe travels, Luffy was about to make his way to Nami before seeing Franky's new look. "Franky, you're..."

Franky smiled and pretended to be a robot. Just as Luffy was about to play with him, Nami sighed and grabbed him. "Luffy. Wait!" There were important matters. "I don't see what's great with that. But the marines are here!"

At that moment, they heard cannon balls approaching. Franky immediately became serious and ordered. "Protect the ship!" He was about to press a button to activate defensive measures.

As everyone got ready to defend , the cannon balls suddenly stopped, turning to stone. Usopp exclaimed, "What!"

Only Yuuto smiled immediately realizing who it was.

Robin looked. "That's the emblem of the Kuja!"

"The Kuja?" Nami asked.

Robin elaborated. "An all female crew led by the Shichibukai known as the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock."

At that moment, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, and Brook stood by the starboard to see.

"Whoa!"

"Who is that stunning beauty!"

Sanji turned to stone.

Yuuto sighed seeing their reaction. Luffy looked confused. "Hey it's-" Nami flinched hearing that. Luffy knew her? Why did she feel that she would not get along with this Boa Hancock when they would first meet?

Yuuto bonked the guys who had looked. He was right to be protective after all. "That's my girlfriend you're looking at."

"What!" Came the cry from everyone except Luffy.

Zoro had come up to hear that and dropped the presents he had. Nami's jaw dropped. Nami immediately wished she didn't think that and wasn't so quick to judge her. Hopefully, if she meets her, they would get along. Usopp's tongue was out. Sanji began burning up in jealousy; that took one beautiful woman in the world off the market. Chopper's eyes widened. Robin gasped. Franky nervously chuckled. Brook's jaw also dropped; darkness from his eyes popped out;if he had eyes, his eyes would have popped out.

They collectively looked at Luffy who was picking his nose. He was the one who didn't react at all.

Nami asked. "Luffy. Did you know this?" She had seen her and was worried that Luffy might have liked her.

"Yeah. I was sent to live at Amazon Lily for two years. Yuuto joined us." Luffy happily told Nami. Nami laughed a little nervously; Luffy was still the same.

At that moment, Sanji was trying to beat up Yuuto but failed. He then started crying hearing what Luffy said. "You mean to tell me. That while I was stuck training and slaving away in hell. You two were slacking and frolicking with the ladies at man's paradise?" It wasn't fair.

"What do you mean I trained hard." Luffy called out unaware of what Sanji was implying.

Yuuto blushed a little bit and weakly pointed out. "I trained too." He unlocked Armament Haki, became an archer (which he liked because it was quieter compared to using guns), and mastered three more different martial arts. Not to mention sparring with his girlfriend who won most of the time. He also spent the last month planning certain adventures they would have in the New World in order to take down the Yonko.

Usopp and Brook shook his head hearing that response. It sounded like he fooled around. Sanji was sure Yuuto was lying and didn't do any training. Zoro was disappointed in Yuuto; Yuuto was the only other serious male member and the fact he entered a relationship must have distracted him. He only hoped that Yuuto wasn't fooling around too much when Luffy lost his brother.

On the other hand, Nami and Robin were happy for Yuuto; Nami was happier that her fears were false. Chopper didn't really see the problem. Franky smiled realizing that it was kind of nice to see a change in Yuuto.

"Anyways we need to leave. Otherwise, she's going to attack us. It's part of our plan." Yuuto mentioned.

Before the crew asked, they saw the Kuja ship approached with their bow and ready. "Get the ship!" They yelled loudly but with no real threat behind those words. They winked at them.

Yuuto only smiled at them. Hancock blew him a secret kiss which made him blush.

"Let's set sail!" Luffy called out while also waving bye to them.

Franky immediately opened the valve for the coating. Nami yelled "Ready!"

* * *

Descent

As they started their descent to Fishman Island, they decided to recount their 2 year training time.

It was obvious who was going first.

"Well then." Yuuto dodged a kick from Sanji. "Sanji, calm down. Let me explain."

"How could you get the Pirate Empress as your girlfriend? Were you really training?"

Yuuto shrugged not sure how that happened. "I really did train." He then dodged another attack.

This time, it was a slash. It was from Zoro.

"Zoro!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper shouted in surprise.

"Prove it. Remember the threats of the New World that you constantly warned us about. Are you taking this seriously?" Zoro warned. "We're entering the New World. Fight me. Right now." At that moment, Sanji, Robin, Franky, and Brook understood and watched in silence.

Yuuto sighed and understood. "I wasn't fooling around Zoro." He was slightly surprised with this. "I accept the challenge." He was glad to know Zoro took the two year seriously even though that was to be expected. He started putting on his gloves prepared to duel against the First Mate.

Nami cried out worried. "Luffy, shouldn't you stop them?" This was the first time they met after two years and the first thing that happens is Zoro and Yuuto fighting. Zoro, she could expect, but Yuuto typically acted as a peacemaker.

Luffy only laughed. "Yuuto checked with me about this relationship. It's fine." It was definitely ok with him because he saw Hancock's glare if he refused. "It's up to Zoro. I'll stop it if it goes out of hand."

"Isn't that enough Zoro? Luffy's ok with it." Usopp offered.

Yuuto held out a hand to stop. "It's fine. I understand. I'm ready to prove it now." He took a Bajiquan stance.

Sanji looked and remarked. "That's a new style." Yuuto had never used that fighting style. Robin, Franky, and Brook nodded at that.

Nami wanted to stop it but realized that would be useless. "Don't pop the bubble." She warned.

Zoro gave a cocky grin; he'd put on his bandana if he could use his full power right now in the environment. Still, he was sure he'd win without trying too much. "Let's see what you got then." Zoro could sense that Yuuto had gotten stronger but perhaps it wasn't enough. "You weren't the only one to spend time around a Shichibukai."

Yuuto put a grin. "Mihawk I'm guessing." Zoro nodded.

Franky put that to perspective. It seemed Kuma put them in the best situation for each of them to get stronger. He would mention that later.

The two started fighting. Zoro tried cutting Yuuto which Yuuto dodged or blocked with his gloves. There wasn't an opportunity for Yuuto to get a clear punch which Zoro blocked with his swords.

The more experienced fighters appreciated the attacks both combatants were showing. On one hand, Zoro had raw power but Yuuto dodged every attack and struck back with finesse. Each fist was met with a blade and vice versa.

Zoro decided to increase the distance between the two.

 **Kokujo: O Tatsumaki**

This was done so he could jump away and mentally focus for his next attacks.

A small whirlwind blew Yuuto away. Yuuto could feel a couple cuts on his body while being caught, but they were not too serious. Just minor wounds. Eventually, he just skywalked out of it and landed down where Zoro anticipated.

Seeing that the previous exchange was going nowhere, Yuuto decided to take it head on.

Zoro's Shushui clashed with Yuuto's arm. No actual cut was made.

Sanji dropped his cigarette not expecting that. Robin, Franky, and Brook knew what that meant. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper looked in shock.

"I heard ever since Boa Hancock became his girlfriend, Yuuto could use Armament Haki with his body." Luffy explained.

Yuuto's palm then extended to push Zoro back.

Zoro leaped back to catch his breath and smiled. It wasn't a weak punch, but it didn't make him dizzy at all. He held back a lot in that slash, but that was definitely a good sign if Yuuto was willing to face him head on. He was serious enough to block his sword with Armament Haki even if Zoro was holding back. Just as he was about to call to say that was enough, he lost track of Yuuto.

Yuuto had given an open palm to the chin causing Zoro to stumble a little upward. Yuuto then punched with two fists forward causing him to fly back even more.

"I think that's enough you two." Luffy pointed out. There was no need for them to continue fighting. He looked at both of them.

Zoro recovered quickly and nodded. He had seen enough. He underestimated Yuuto. Yuuto kept his skills sharp. His fighting skills were better than they were two years ago.

Yuuto relaxed and bowed before him. He had capitalized on Zoro's lack of attention. "Thank you Zoro for the battle. If we had continued and we were on land, you would have won." Yuuto knew that Zoro wasn't serious if he didn't wear his bandana. Still, Yuuto had to admit that Luffy and most likely Zoro surpassed him in pure strength. Sanji he wasn't sure unless they fought.

Zoro shook his head at the humility he felt was a little forced. Yuuto was a skilled fighter who took advantage of his lack of attention. Zoro wasn't sure if that was his instinct or observation skills. He also noted that Yuuto held back on his speed and his punches as well just in case he needed to surprise him one more time.

It was such a Yuuto thing to do.

Yuuto didn't seem that he broke a sweat. Zoro gave a smirk. It seemed that Yuuto was keeping himself grounded by being humble.

"You proved that you took it seriously enough." He took the hand that Yuuto had given him. He would look forward to sparing with him in the future. [3]

Usopp cried out. "Man, looks like we have a Monster Quartet."

Luffy just laughed at that. "That's not all. He's a good archer now." He witnessed firsthand his prowess with the bow.

Yuuto looked at Usopp. "Usopp, I wonder if you could give me any pointers about sniping. I'm definitely nowhere good as you, but think of this as backup. You're still the true sniper of the Strawhats."

"I never used a bow before, but I'll see what I can do." Usopp smiled.

"Man, when did you have time to pick up archery?" Nami asked.

"It ended up being a way to spend time with my girlfriend. She's a better archer than I am. I'd show you but we're in a bubble." Yuuto acknowledged while looking at Zoro. Yuuto had a rough idea how much Zoro had to hold back a lot under the air bubble.

In the meantime, Zoro sweatdropped. Was Yuuto looking for an excuse to just to mention her? He reminded himself that Yuuto did train seriously to give him trouble even if he did hold back.

At that Sanji started crying. "Why do you have a girlfriend? Nami-swan, Robin-chan can I be more than your crew mate?" No response came. Hearing the silence, Sanji started crying.

"Looks like you have a lot to tell us. Yuuto." Chopper was giving him a checkup. He had already checked Zoro.

"How about I go last? I already demonstrated something. Let me catch my breath while I hear about you guys." Yuuto half lied about catching his breath. He was really curious about how the others grew. "Franky, I hope you have a laptop to look at the information I gave you. I got a couple things I want you to look at and help plan." Hearing that, Robin looked intrigued at what he found. If it was similar to any of the information she had from the Revolutionaries, she may also help.

* * *

Catching up

They decided to go in order of the ones who arrived on the island.

Zoro revealed that he had been training under Dracule Mihawk. He mentioned he met the Red Hair Pirates. The last duel he had with Mihawk gave him a permanent scar on his eye. In an act that surprised everybody, he gave books to Nami, Chopper, and Robin, saying that he found books that they may be interested in. Nami and Chopper gave thanks but mentioned that they already knew what he gave them. Robin closed her eyes and gave a genuine smile not knowing anything about the history of Kuraigana Island.

Franky revealed that he would show off his inventions and vehicles when they were on land. The only ones he could show off were the robot helpers he made. Before he showed off the newest wapometal watches, he thanked Nami, Robin, and Brook for actually keeping their watches intact. Everyone else mentioned they were in conditions that battles were intense. The wapometal would also stretch with Luffy and Chopper in case they grew. He promised that all of them would really appreciate forward to the vehicles he made. He mentioned about the new weapons he had copied from Dr. Vegapunk.

He also told them about his suspicions about Kuma helping them.

Nami talked about learning the New World weather on Weatheria and actually having a bojutsu master named Kilik. Yuuto said he heard of him and that he was one of the best in the world. Luffy commented that if she learned from him she must have become really strong. Nami blushed at that but told them that she never beat him in a fight without using her Climatact powers. Other than that, she didn't change much.

Sanji immediately said what physically changed about her. Long hair. Her cup size just by looking at her.

He was promptly slapped by Nami.

Usopp was about to start a long tale about his transformation. However, it was cut short by Nami who told him just get to the important parts. He sighed and told them about his new pop greens and physical training.

Chopper told them about his Beast Point Crusher and how he studied the plants there. He made medicine and brought some of them to grow here. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Yuuto, Robin, and Franky offered to help be friends with Crusher when he turned to Beast Point.

Brook told them about how he became a music sensation. As everyone looked at him, he quickly explained how that helped practice his powers and swordsmanship. He did travel to lots of countries so that will be useful if needed

Sanji explained the hell he had to go through without Nami and Robin. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Yuuto, and Franky just told him to get on with what he actually did. He mentioned how he trained physically. He also couldn't wait to use the recipes for his crew seeing they would grow stronger.

He didn't mention about how his cooking would help their bodies as well.

Robin surprised everyone the most so far by saying that she was with the Revolutionaries. She giggled how everyone was curious about Luffy and how many people wanted to meet him, Dragon's son. Especially the Dragon's right hand the number 2. The entire army knew about Luffy's characteristics. Zoro looked at her and knew that meant she did miss them if she talked about them.

She didn't mention any names because Sabo asked her not to. She also didn't mention how she met Dragon.

Robin also mentioned that she unlocked Observation Haki but still struggled with Armament Haki. Sanji offered to teach her, but she refused knowing that he wouldn't really teach her. She looked at Zoro or Yuuto. Only Zoro smiled interested in more training while Yuuto politely declined.

Robin also mentioned that she heard about Kuma's past with the revolutionaries. He was a respected individual among the organization. Everyone was confused but decided not to dwell on it.

Luffy gave a summary on how he saved Yuuto at Impel Down. He mentioned a little bit about Marineford which Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Yuuto grimaced understanding his pain. Nami kept that in mind to talk to him privately. The rest of the crew looked at Yuuto to confirm how bad it was. Yuuto silently nodded. Yuuto mentioned some things but knew to talk to some of the crew about it privately.

Still, Luffy looked happy as he continued talking about his training with Rayleigh and the animals he fought and tamed.

Yuuto picked up some of the missing pieces left out. The last half year, Yuuto saw Luffy more frequently to teach him how to think . Yuuto also had to answer the biggest question everyone was dying to ask.

"How?" Nami asked.

Yuuto teased back knowing what the secret question was. "What are you saying I can't get a girlfriend?" He knew he had everyone's full attention.

"No. That's not what I meant. I meant-" Nami pointed. She was curious about hearing their story.

"What she means is how did you get a girlfriend?" Robin was interested as well. She thought his past would have bothered him about it. "Your past-"

"I moved on. She helped me with that." Yuuto pointed out.

"Does this mean you're not going to be flirting with other girls anymore? I can have Nami and Robin all to myself." Sanji asked.

Nami yelled. "Yuuto actually tries to be friends with us. Something you should actually try."

Franky pointed out. "But we all know that -" He was about to remind him being a charmer with Stussy. He stopped being glared at by Yuuto.

Noticing the glare, Usopp didn't voice what he thought happened between Yuuto and that Water 7 secretary/ CP-9 assassin.

Yuuto sighed not liking what Franky was about to say. He wasn't that person anymore especially if he was going to be in a serious relationship. "Yes. I am in a serious relationship with her and I won't be flirting with any other girls anymore." He looked at Sanji. "Nami and Robin are like my sisters. I apologize if I led you on. That was unintentional." Nami and Robin nodded not ever feeling romantic love for him.

After a pause, he let out. "She helped fulfill my old dream of finding peace with myself" He paused knowing that could have given away Hancock's life as a slave. "And I have a new dream now." Everyone looked curious at that. "I want to get rid of the World Nobles system." It was a dream that both he and Hancock shared.

Robin chuckled. "Sounds like you might want to join the Revolutionaries." She laughed at that, happy that he moved on. However, the Revolutionaries wouldn't trust a Chaser so easily as well.

"I know." Yuuto nodded. "But something tells me that helping Luffy become Pirate King will get rid of that system."

After a pause, Chopper spoke out. "You know. You probably changed the most out of all of us during the two years." He may be the youngest but he could tell.

"Yeah. I guess that's why you seem less serious now. She must really make you happy if you're acting like that." Franky cried out.

"It's inspiring to make me write a romantic love song."

"I'm happy that my older brother now has someone to take care of him." Nami pointed out.

"You proved that it's not going to interfere with your abilities."

"I'm just happy that Yuuto won't steal any other girls anymore."

Yuuto sweatdropped at the last comment. "I'm happy to continue my journey with you guys. Hancock and I will work it out. Anyways, Franky or Usopp look through the information Hancock got us. I have certain plans that need to be done as we go through the New World."

All of a sudden, Yuuto's private den den mushi rang. Yuuto smiled knowing who that was. "Excuse me." He took the snail and walked briskly to an unoccupied room.

As he left to his room, Usopp nodded. "Wow. Yuuto's a lot different now."

"Yeah. He's a lot happier now." Franky commented.

Luffy laughed. "What do you mean? He's the same." Luffy was already used to it. Sanji shrugged. Yuuto was still some flirt.

Nami exclaimed. "No. But it's a good different. He seems nicer as well." Robin nodded at that. "I'm curious as to what she's like." After a couple moments. "We should check the ship."

Usopp looked at the radar. "It seems that there's enemies close by."

"Should I just fire the missiles we have?" Franky asked.

"Nah let's come up to meet them." Luffy grinned in excitement.

"Should we let Yuuto know?"

"No." Luffy yelled at some of the memories. "Trust me. We do not want to disturb either of them."

"What does that mean?" Chopper asked.

"I interrupted their date once, and I regret that." Luffy cried. His scars still hurt whenever they started to visit him once a week.

Everyone except Chopper blushed at what they thought Luffy meant. Sanji soon became enraged at the implication.

"Are you sure he was seriously training!"

Luffy nodded. "One of their date ideas was hunting me up for something I did accidentally. That only served as a warning." Luffy hunting was not fun. Especially when he was the target and they had arrows. They had scary good aim.

To see their fearless captain shiver like that made them wonder how the Yuuto and Hancock were like.

A couple minutes later

"Alright hope to see you soon Hancock-chan." Yuuto left the room and made his way up the deck. His crew seemed to handle the intruders well. He was worried for a moment about the surprise attack but felt his comrades were stronger.

He knew Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were good enough to take care of the problem.

As he made his way up to the deck, he paused and saw one intruder tied up. "I don't know his name but he has a Devil fruit power. Seems like a Logia." He quickly put on fake glasses before the intruder got a good look on Yuuto's face.

"You can tell that!" The intruder yelled caught off guard. He quickly turned to swamp.

Yuuto immediately punched him knocking him unconscious. "I see. It's the Numa Numa Fruit. Let's just put him in a barrel and turn him in later." He smiled. Maybe that would be a nice gift to Hancock. She got approved to be the one chasing after them.

Chopper who was nearby exclaimed. "How did you know that he has a devil fruit power?"

"Ever since Impel Down, I could identify pirates, marines, and devil fruit powers immediately." Yuuto didn't need to show that power during the two years; he was always at Amazon Lily. He looked at Franky and Chopper to signal that he needed to talk to both of them privately. Franky hammered the barrel down so he wouldn't escape. Yuuto put a sign on top of the barrel saying 'Do not open. Prisoner ate Numa Numa Fruit.'

"Please look into that. I want to reverse what they did to me. I think they put some weird brainwashing into me. Maybe you guys can undo that." Yuuto confessed.

Robin, who was nearby, looked up. "I remember the revolutionaries were looking into that project. I might get a hold on one of them." When she worked with Lindbergh, he mentioned something about the Chaser project. She would have to call them when she could.

"Wow. Look at that giant Kraken." Luffy called getting everyone's attention. "I have a good idea everyone. Let's tame it."

The only ones who didn't falter at that were Zoro, Yuuto, and Robin. Yuuto sighed knowing what he could do; the other two just thought of it as Luffy as being Luffy. Yuuto called out. "Just talk to him Luffy. You don't need to go outside the bubble."

Chopper yelled. "Luffy can talk to animals now!"

"Something like that." Yuuto couldn't really explain it.

Luffy and the Kraken engaged in a stare. The Kraken forgot the shark it was chasing after. The Kraken whipped out its tentacles and broke down a neighboring ship. Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook panicked as it came closer.

"Don't worry guys Surume will lead us the way." Luffy noted cheerfully as the Kraken smiled and wrapped its tentacles around the ship.

"Who's Surume?" Nami asked.

Yuuto sighed. "The Kraken." He was used to Luffy's logic now. Surume then dove down.

"Surume says we'll be at Fishman Island in 10 minutes."

"I wonder if we'll meet up with Jinbei." Yuuto pointed out. Seeing that it was a slow descent, he then decided to get ready for their trip.

Chopper and Franky left to get started at the data Yuuto collected. Usopp, Robin, and Brook followed after curious about this information. Zoro went up to the lookout to see if he could get some training in the meantime. Sanji decided to check the kitchen to prepare what to buy at Fishman Island.

That only left Nami and Luffy on the deck. Seeing that both of them were alone, Nami asked. "Hey Luffy. Are you ok?" Especially seeing his new scar, she was worried about the last two years.

The scar he had made her sink. It must have hurt to have that as a constant reminder of him not saving Ace. It reminded her of the tattoo she had about her time with Arlong Pirates before she changed it.

Luffy looked at her puzzled. "I'm ok. I'm happy that I'm with you guys now."

That wasn't what she wanted to talk about. She looked at his eyes and bluntly blurted "With Ace's death?" A wave of distress washed over her. She flinched; she should have brought it up more delicately. Luffy froze a little bit before smiling.

"Shishi. I'm fine now." Luffy turned away.

Nami looked at him analyzing what his expression showed. It wasn't one of his normal smiles, but it was a fake smile. She knew a fake smile when she saw one especially giving so many before. "I see." Luffy wasn't ok, and she should have brought it up more delicately. "You can talk to me about it if you're not actually ok." She left to give him some privacy before she felt Luffy's hand hold her hand.

She froze a little and tried to calm down. She looked at Luffy who responded. "It's fine. You don't have to go. Stay with me." Luffy stayed by the edge watching the scenes of their descent. He wanted someone with him. Nami smiled and walked closer to him knowing that he wanted company.

"Just remember that you have all of your nakama with you now." It was a light gesture from Nami. Nami knew how each one in the crew cared about each other, especially after their captain. It was just to remind Luffy who he had. Luffy turned and gave her a genuine smile.

"Thanks Nami." He kept quiet more about what Yuuto had mentioned to him during their time in the last six months. He was trying to get used to how different Nami seemed compared to two years ago.

She seemed more mature and serious. Her presence calmed him down.

He turned away realizing that staring at Nami longer made his heart race a little uncomfortably. He should focus on the sights of their descent.

Nami nodded which he didn't see. They would watch their descent in silence appreciating the view. She could wait when it was time for him to open up to her. She was willing to wait for him to talk to her about Ace.

Just like how he waited for her at her hometown. In her moment of despair and helplessness, she was forced to ask him about Arlong for his help.

* * *

Ten Minutes later

"You guys. We're here!" Luffy called out. Nami and Sanji were already beside him. Sanji had come out three minutes ago. The rest of the Strawhats came out.

"Mermaid Island!" Sanji shouted excited to see one of his dreams.

Suddenly, the ship was tossed to a bunch of Sea Kings. Alarmed, Luffy asked "Wait Surume what are you doing?" Surume soon left them as if sccared.

"A pirate ship." Usopp pointed out where that voice was coming from. A fishman named Hammond came out. "You must be the Straw Hat pirates. We know your name well. You crushed the Arlong Pirates." Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji tensed up. Robin took a protective stance around Nami who saw the tattoos. Yuuto didn't know what was going on. Hammond paused "If this was two years ago, we'd kill you. But you protected Hachi two years ago from the Celestial Dragons."

Yuuto didn't remember some things but took a defensive stance trusting his crew.

"What should we do with you? Are you friend or foe? Will you join the New Fishman Pirates? Or will you decline?" Hammond took out a blade menacingly. "If you decline, then we'll sink your ship."

Nami, seeing the danger, immediately ordered. "Franky, start refueling."

Franky asked. "Why?"

"Do you think Luffy would submit to these people?" The crew members shook their head. "But at the same time, we're ten thousand meters below surface. We can't fight down here. We have to run." The pressure would kill them.

Robin nodded agreeing. Usopp and Brook sprang to action. Yuuto ran forward in case they started attacking

Luffy yelled out. "Forget it you dummies!"

At that yell, Franky blasted the ship forward speeding past them. The bubble popped as they entered Fishman Island and the Strawhats were overcome by the current. One by one, they all fell unconscious. The last one to fall unconscious was Yuuto who tried to grab onto Chopper and Brook to safety.

Hammond looked behind them. "Well then. I guess we'll see if they made it to the island safely." He gave a grin to his partners. "We should let them know. They'll look forward to hearing that the Strawhats are here, especially him." They all shared a laugh.

They didn't notice that each of the Strawhats were saved by mermaids.

* * *

[1] My chapter 12

[2] Kind of like chapter 1. When Yuuto meets Zoro and Sanji.

[3] Zoro and Yuuto do spar with each other if that hasn't been mentioned.

Alright, I feel that it seemed that Yuuto won easily. But he's not stronger than Zoro.

Now that we're entering part 2, I'm looking forward to writing what I'm planning in 2 or 3 chapters. I'm going to finish Fishman Island next chapter.

Feel free to leave a review about your thoughts or predictions. Unfortunately, this was a slow chapter.


	40. Chapter 40 Fishman Island

Disclaimer: Sigh* I don't own One Piece or One piece 943.

I'm going to speed Fishman Island along. The parts that I skipped are parts I didn't really change.

Fishman Island is probably worth rereading because Oda has heavily foreshadowed that it will be important again.

Prediction: In the future, when Fishman Island is destroyed, that will help show Jimbei fulfilling his dream.

* * *

Fishman Island

Ocean Forest

Yuuto woke up. He coughed out some water. "Just my luck we got separated." He checked his possessions. "Damn it. I don't have my watch on me. I only have my private den den mushi and my backpack." He slapped himself for forgetting something crucial. He double checked and only found his gloves and bow and arrow.

He looked around and tried to use his Observation Haki around. He found a familiar aura and grinned.

"Well then. Looks like I'll get to see Jimbei after all. Maybe he can help find my crew. I hope they don't cause too much trouble without me." He recalled some information that Jimbei's working with Big Mom He grinned at the opportunity to talk about Big Mom and her forces.

As he made his way to Jinbei, he saw the Thousand Sunny. "Wow. Talk about luck." He got on and sensed the prisoner still there. He grabbed his watch and tried talking on it.

" _Can anyone hear me? I found the Thousand Sunny. Anything I missed."_

" _I saw the Thousand Sunny earlier. I'm looking for the Poneglyph around here. I don't know what the others are doing."_ Robin immediately replied.

" _I'll be back soon. I just needed to find my teacher's brother. Nami mentioned they were going to the palace."_ Franky called out.

Yuuto sighed. He'd meet up with them later. He continued walking until he saw a fishman sitting in front of grave. He took a seat next to him. "It's been a while Jimbei."

* * *

Timeskip

Yuuto could only facepalm.

In front of him was the world's largest princess who was also a giant crybaby that Luffy befriended. Sanji was doting over her. Franky stood impressed at the size. Chopper was worried over Hachi's condition.

Of course, hearing what happened when Nami explained the situation, Yuuto realized how it sounded like they had kidnapped the princess.

Yuuto shook his head not wanting to misunderstand this situation. He didn't want to be seen as a kidnapper again. He was done with that life.

News became worse when Nami told them that a pirate group led by Hody Jones took over the palace.

Hachi's eyes widened hearing that. "Did you-" He coughed up blood. Chopper continued checking him.

"Shh. Just rest."

Jimbei bowed before the Strawhats present. "I must apologize. It seems that you have been drawn into our troubles." He looked at Nami and Luffy. "When I met Luffy and Yuuto two years ago, it was not the time to speak of such things." He motioned everyone to sit down.

"I am thankful for you guys for stopping Arlong." Yuuto looked confused not remembering who this was. Only Luffy, Nami, and Sanji nodded recognizing the name. Hachi looked down with regret. "At the same time, I must apologize."

"Jimbei." Hachi cried out understanding. Everyone else looked confused.

"The ones responsible for unleashing Arlong upon the East Blue was me." Jimbei shouted out.

Nami paused. "What do you mean?"

"I heard the same thing." Sanji pointed and accused. Luffy looked confused. "Yosaku said the same thing." Sanji pointed out. "When I saw your name with Luffy and Yuuto in the newspaper two years ago, I didn't know what to think. After all, I had been thinking of you as the man behind Arlong."

Sanji pointed harshly at Jimbei. "Choose your next words carefully. I'll have you know that our lovely Nami-san was a resident of the island that Arlong took control of." At those words, Yuuto remembered more about Nami's past. "She suffered more than anyone thanks to Arlong's reign of terror."

Both Luffy and Yuuto looked over to Nami, who started reflecting her past, protectively.

"Depending on what you say next. I may not be able to forgive you." Sanji threatened over. He was protective of his crew especially over Nami.

Hachi coughed out. "It's true Jimbei. " Jimbei looked at him as if he was confirming the story. "The pain we caused her is something we can never atone for." Yuuto heard that tone and remembered how similar he and Hachi were.

After a pause, Jimbei spoke out. "That must have been hard on you."

"Don't talk like it's got nothing to do with you." Sanji shouted.

Nami sighed. "That's right. No matter what happens I have no intention of feeling any compassion toward Arlong. However, when we went to Sabaody Archipelago, I had no idea about the persecution the fishmen suffered at the hands of humans." She let out, slowly understanding their hatred. "As soon as I set foot and saw Sabaody Park, it was the same image of the 'Arlong Park' they built."

Hachi mentioned. "We all wanted to be part of that world. Even Arlong."

Jimbei sat down. "Let me tell you about the history of Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger."

* * *

A story later

"I always intended to seek him out and stop him if he ever went too far..." Jimbei finished. "But through his bribes, Arlong ensured that word of his misdeeds never reached as far as Marine HQ." Yuuto looked understanding, happy to know his friend wasn't the true cause of Nami's pain. "Still, you and many others had to suffer."

Yuuto sighed. This was starting to remind him about what how he first met Hancock. Jimbei bowed down. "I take full responsibility."

Before Yuuto could say anything to defend him, Sanji yelled out. "Is that so? In that case," He pointed at Jimbei. "Open your stomach."

"Sanji." Chopper cried in shock at the drastic measure.

"You can apologize with your death." Sanji continued. Yuuto glared at Sanji. Luffy also woke up and glanced at Sanji hearing that threat. "It still wouldn't be enough for me to forgive you, but at least it might give Nami-san some peace!" Yuuto was ready to knock some sense into Sanji. Yuuto viewed as Jimbei just an unintentional catalyst.

Yuuto noted. Jimbei was a good man. None of the crew knew how much Jimbei had helped them in trying to save Ace. In fact, Jimbei was the one who began comforting Luffy not him. Yuuto could only stare and watch as if he were a stranger.

"Stop, Sanji-kun." Nami called out interrupting his thoughts. Yuuto paused and sighed. She was the one who should be deciding what to do. Not Sanji. Only her.

"Nami-san… Think of what they did to you!" Sanji tried to remind her.

Before Luffy or Yuuto could defend Jimbei, Nami waved her hand out. "That has nothing to do with him. After hearing his story, it's clear that he meant no harm."

"I will accept any punishment, if it makes you feel better -" Jimbei said guiltily. This only brought some memories back with Yuuto.

"Don't." This felt like déjà vu to Yuuto. "Don't. Arlong is the one I hate." Jimbei looked at her as she sat down. "In any case, I'm glad you're not the one behind the Arlong Pirates." She grabbed her legs. "I mean you're Luffy's and Yuuto's friend aren't you?" Luffy and Yuuto nodded at that.

As Nami grabbed her old tattoo, she reflected the pain she felt before. "It's true I suffered a lot because of the Arlong Pirates, but in that spiral of pain, I met many good friends too." She looked at her crew as she said that happy with her friends. Her experience only made her appreciate what she had now. "All of that made me who I am now."

She was proud to be a pirate, something she knew she would never say before she met Luffy.

"I won't hate you because you're a fishman." She smiled at Jimbei. "So don't go apologizing for my life. I don't regret it. I'm having a lot of fun now." To see her and her friends on this adventure.

Luffy grinned wider hearing that. Sanji fluttered around. Yuuto approved.

Hachi started crying. It sounded as if she forgave him.

Jimbei bowed down. "I don't deserve such kind words." He cried out. "You have my eternal gratitude."

Nami looked at Jimbei. Jimbei sounded as if he had been suffering and living his life with regret over something he did. It really reminded her how Yuuto was like before they separated.

Yuuto offered a hand out to Jimbei. "You copied what I did. Remember when we met Hancock."

Nami looked curiously as to why Hancock's name was brought up? Jimbei nodded, having forgotten about that, and accepted the hand. "Did she forgive you?" He remembered that day two years ago. Nami raised her head up hearing that; she was curious about her for Yuuto's sake.

Yuuto smiled and slightly blushed. "She did." That wasn't all she did.

Luffy looked. "Oh that's right. Hey Jimbei they're engaged."

Yuuto cried out. "Not yet Luffy." It seemed as if he had ruined the surprise. "I haven't had time to get a ring." That reminded him. He needed to ask the crew something privately.

Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, and Jimbei all had their jaws dropped on their floor in surprise. That wasn't mentioned at all.

Jimbei stammered out. "I wouldn't have guessed." He thought Hancock was in love with Luffy. "Congratulations!" He told him.

Yuuto sighed a little embarrassed as well. "That's not important. Besides I haven't asked yet. We need to focus on the problem at hand. Don't let my relationship be a distraction from what we need to do."

Jimbei recovered quickly. "Right. Here is the present situation."

Just as he got ready to outline the plan. "Wait." Hachi coughed out before looking afraid at Nami. "I have to mention something because we're talking about Arlong. He's - "

* * *

Back at the palace

"Zoro, that's - " Usopp whispered to him close in the cage they were in. They needed to let Nami know as soon as possible.

"Yeah it is." Zoro looked gravely. He couldn't cut the cage because he didn't have his swords. It seemed their old enemy was here as well.

"Shahahaha." Arlong looked at them. "I remember you. Where's my old cartographer?" [1]

* * *

Back at the Seaforest

"He's here. Hody freed him when they were changing their prisons two weeks ago." Hachi called out. "In exchange, Arlong's serving under Hody. Kurobi's here too. Chew died as they tried to escape. Arlong accepted Hody's proposal."

"Arlong's mine." Luffy, Sanji, Yuuto, Chopper, and Franky said all at once.

"Oi Luffy, you already beat him once."

"I always wanted to punch him for hurting my little sister's town." Yuuto remembered more clearly now.

"Wait! I wanted to try out Vegapunk's design of a weapon for fishmen!" Franky looked guilty at Jimbei. "Sorry I made them in case of who we met." He added to defend himself.

"Arlong is my responsibility." Jimbei stated. "Please let me make it up to you Nami."

Chopper sighed, knowing he wasn't getting his chance to pummel Arlong. The others weren't going to back down.

Although happy to hear her crew and her new friend were ready to fight her former nightmare, Nami sighed. "I'll fight him." Yuuto, Chopper, and Franky backed down immediately not wanting to argue. Yuuto immediately understood hearing her tone. It was her past that she needed to be clear of. Something she had to do by herself. No one else could do it for her.

Luffy asked. "Are you sure?" He was worried about her. Jimbei stood motionlessly.

Sanji nodded. "But Nami-san. You might get hurt -"

Nami interrupted and looked at Luffy. "Yes. I have to be the one who fights him." She grabbed her Clim-a-tact and her scar. "I know I can win now." She wasn't the helpless girl she was 10 years ago. She had trained the last two years so she wouldn't become a burden to the crew.

Sanji was about to protest but Luffy looked at him gravely. "Sanji. Let her." Sanji looked surprised at that. "Nami, beat Arlong. We'll take care of the rest." Luffy gave a silent look to Jimbei which he gave in.

As Sanji was about to protest, Nami looked at him and smirked mischievously. "If you're not going to do it for me, do it because it's the Captain's orders."

Sanji stumbled knowing he couldn't do anything. "Luffy, I'm not feeding you if she loses."

"She won't" Luffy and Yuuto said at the same time.

Luffy continued speaking. "She's a lot stronger than she was before." Yuuto only smiled while Nami began to blush at the trust Luffy had in her.

Yuuto could only smile in eager anticipation when the two became a couple. He could finally tease someone else after being poked fun at for so long.

They were then interrupted by an announcement by Hody Jones. Hody revealed who he captured.

Seeing his friends captured, Luffy rushed to Megalo who could take him back to the palace.

He was immediately stopped by Jimbei. They began fighting while Yuuto sighed. Jimbei mentioned his plan earlier to him but Luffy wasn't the type to sit around. He decided to let Jimbei handle it. Besides, he could see Jimbei's Fishman Karate up close. Maybe he could imitate some of the moves.

Everyone was surprised to see Robin suddenly appear between the two fighters. Especially when Yuuto sensed her presence behind him. Sanji leaped as if to protect her before she disappeared safely.

Everyone else was shocked when the three of them were hurt.

Franky, who was keeping track, thought the fight went like this.

Luffy vs Jimbei.

Luffy, Jimbei, and Sanji lose. Robin wins.

Still, that moment was needed to calm everyone down. Jimbei explained that he had planned for Luffy and the Strawhats to be seen as the hero for Fishman Island. That would help promote peace for fishman to live alongside with humans.

There was one problem that Jimbei didn't account for.

"I don't want to be a hero!" Luffy cried at the thought.

"What!" Jimbei had laid out a nice plan that Yuuto approved of. Yuuto sighed understanding that with Luffy nothing goes according to plan.

"We're pirates! I like heroes a lot, but I don't want to be one!" Luffy shouted. Yuuto shook his head even if Luffy didn't want to be a hero, he was a hero to other people. "Do you know what heroes are?"

Yuuto looked curious as to what he thought. Sometimes, Luffy did bring up interesting points.

"Say there is a chunk of meat. Pirates will have a banquet and eat it. But heroes will share it with other people." Yuuto could only massage his eyebrows at that and contemplate what Luffy was saying. "I want all the meat."

Inwardly, Yuuto was having an internal battle. What did he love the most?

When he realized it was Hancock, he wouldn't want to share Hancock with anyone, not that it was proper to do so. He wouldn't want to be a hero if he had to share Hancock. He understood where Luffy was coming from.

"Is that how he defines a hero?" Nami asked not seeing how Luffy's mind worked.

"So it all goes back to meat?"

Yuuto looked at his crew and thought about what they loved. He pointed out to Nami. "A hero would share his treasure."

Nami glared at him and said, "But I want them all for myself."

"A hero would share girls." This time to Sanji.

"But I want all the girls for myself." Sanji yelled out. No way would he ever share a girl.

Yuuto looked at Chopper. "Cotton candy." At Robin, "Chopper." At Franky, "Cola."

Chopper and Franky agreed while Robin added. "I see your point. But I already share Chopper with you guys."

At that revelation, the crew started to see what Luffy was coming from. Nami and Sanji were happier now that they were following such a captain.

"Then, I'll give you plenty of meat if you do what I say!" Jimbei barked out.

"Ok then. Let's go."

Yuuto quickly took notes of Jimbei's planning and negotiation skills. He didn't think he could ever get Luffy to agree so quickly. The solution to get Luffy to agree to anything was so simple.

Meat.

"Wait." Jimbei interrupted Yuuto's thoughts. "We need a name for this plan." Jimbei looked. "We shall call this -"

"Who needs a name?" Luffy shouted. "I want my meat!" His crew except Nami and Robin could only sigh at that. Those two just laughed.

* * *

Gyncord Plaza

"Luffy-sama!" Shirahoshi cried out. "Save my father!"

Megalo spit out Luffy as if he heard her. Luffy kicked Hody Jones sending him flying away. He landed ready to go to Gear 2.

"What!"

As that happened, the Thousand Sunny started dropping from the sky while Nami appeared from her mirage tempo. "I got them." She cried victoriously revealing the signatures she held in her hand.

Arlong who led the 70,000 from the Fishmen District narrowed his eyes at her.

Everyone's attention turned to the Thousand Sunny as it landed causing a loud thud.

"Hey Straw Hat!"

"Are you really here to destroy the whole island?"

"Why did you take over the palace?"

"Just answer us. Are you enemies or allies with us?"

Most of the Strawhats jumped from the Thousand Sunny. "Enemies or allies?" He paused. "You decide that for yourself."

The fishmen around started cheering for the Strawhats.

Undeterred, Zeo shouted out. "Don't get cocky just because the king is free for the moment! You filthy –"

None of the Strawhats were paying attention to him.

"The Mermaid Princess is as beautiful as the rumors say! Would you please show me- "

"Nami-san! I saved all those idiots from the palace! Do you want to be my girlfriend!" Sanji was still angry about Yuuto actually having a girlfriend.

She sighed. "No." She wasn't interested in him.

"Oh shut up we made it to the exit by ourselves!"

"I can't believe I forgot about these two bickering." Yuuto sighed out.

"I have two awesome and new weapons! Who wants to test them out?"

Stars sprinkled from Usopp and Chopper.

Hody then began yelling at them. He criticized Jimbei's love of humans. He explained his plan at the upcoming Reverie to kill the kings. Eventually, he would become Pirate King.

Yuuto absentmindedly said "Oh." He wasn't paying attention but knew they all heard about him becoming Pirate King. Jones had Luffy's full attention hearing that.

The others looked around seeing the numbers. They were severely outnumbered. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Franky, and Brook took out their weapons while Yuuto took out his bow. Chopper and Robin took their stances.

Only for Luffy knock out 50,000 of the enemy forces by himself.

The others marveled at this mastery of Haki while Yuuto knew he held back for the crew to show what they learned. This was just a way for everyone to show what each one could do.

His theory was only confirmed when Luffy began the fight with Gear Three. He took out his bow and began firing.

"Let's see if they get around to surrendering before we wipe them all out." Zoro shouted.

"I won't let you destroy this mermaid paradise!"

"This country conceals an important piece of the world's history."

"Such passion! I should start a concert."

"I'm feeling excited!" Nami uncharacteristically exclaimed. She would show everyone what she learned during those two years.

Yuuto had already begun firing away. "I took out 20 already. Less talking, more fighting." He then looked at the sky and fired at the targets in the sky.

Zoro looked at Yuuto. "I'm already at 31. Are we having a rematch?"

That sparked some memories. Yuuto shook his head as he fired away. "No. I'll be taking my time. Besides." He shot an arrow behind Zoro disabling a fishman who tried to sneak on him. "It'll be good to see what you guys can do now."

Sanji yelled. "Oi Marimo! Yuuto! I bet I can take down more than you."

"You're on Mr. Nosebleed!" Zoro called out. Yuuto sighed as if they just ignored him. The two charged into their competition.

Just as he fired an arrow, he found someone who caught his arrow and broke it. Yuuto grinned at the challenge.

His opponent looked like a martial artist. Maybe he should use some Haki in his arrows now.

The martial artist charged at him while Yuuto fired at him. The martial artist dodged each one but not realizing that the arrows Yuuto fired would hit one of his allies.

Just as the shark martial artist was about to punch him, Yuuto simply dodged it and elbowed him to the ground, immediately knocking him unconscious.

Yuuto sighed; it was out of pure instinct too. He had been underestimated and the same respect he gave his opponent had not been reciprocated. "Yeah. I might as well practice archery here." It would be too easy if he used his martial arts here. He looked at his other potential targets. He had a lot to knock down.

* * *

Elsewhere

Robin had already snapped 20 fishmen's necks. She sensed an octopus swordsman merman coming at her as if he could cut her without her looking. She had Observation Haki after all.

Just as she was about to defend herself, she looked surprised.

Metal clashed against metal.

"Zoro!" She yelled out and gave a surprised look. She had that under control. She was going to disappear by the time that octopus cut her and take out her opponent by surprise.

"Sorry Robin. I'll take care of this guy. He should make a decent warm up before we head out to the New World." Zoro focused on his opponent.

She sighed. It was just like him to fight a swordsman opponent. It was a matter of pride. "Fine. But next one is mine." She replied back.

"Yeah yeah."

She smiled at that realizing she missed their banter. She walked away hoping to find another opponent she could take on by herself.

"You have some nerve!" Hyouzou looked angry at him.

Zoro smirked and blocked every attack. For an octopus who used 8 swords and claimed he was the best, he was very disappointing.

Deciding to check up on his crew, Zoro looked at Chopper's new form and smiled at his growth.

"Hey Chopper. That one form you had that looked pretty human doesn't look so human anymore." Zoro said it so casually as if he wasn't fighting for his life at all

"Hehe! I don't mind." Chopper smiled. "I wanted to be human to make friends. Now that I have friends, I want to be a monster who can help Luffy."

Zoro smiled at that knowing that Chopper grew up. "I see. Anytime, I'll see that other side of yours."

"He's asleep now."

"Maybe next time then." Zoro then focused back on his fight.

"When I see that smile" referring to Zoro's lack of attention to him "I want to slice them up." Hyouzou muttered heatedly. He could feel the lack of respect he was given.

Zoro sighed and quickly broke all the swords Hyouzou held.

As his opponent looked in shock, Zoro continued. "Just when I had been real nice too." He looked around. "Bring me the most powerful swordsman on all of Fishman Island. You're not enough to keep me from getting bored." Hell, Mihawk with his eyes closed, blindfolded with one arm tied behind his back, using a small dagger was more of a challenge than this one.

Mihawk had done that to him in the beginning of their two year training.

Zoro still lost back then.

Being brought back to what was going on, Zoro looked at his pitiful opponent. "I won't strike down an enemy with no will to fight. Now get out of here frog." He turned his back on his opponent.

Insulted, Hyouzou took out his hidden poisoned swords. He quietly jumped in the air ready to slice his unaware opponent.

Zoro sighed. "Give it up." He had sensed him.

Not able to bear any more of the insults his opponent gave him, Hyouzou shouted. "Do I look like a frog to you?" He started on his rant which Zoro ignored.

 **Rengoku Onigiri**

"I'm sorry. I guess I was thinking about the frog in the well." Zoro gave a smirk remembering that he had heard that the first time he lost to Mihawk. He gave a look around and viewed his crew's progress. There were still stronger enemies out there, but his crew was stronger now.

* * *

Nami vs Arlong (Meanwhile)

Nami had shown out her Climatact skills preferring to fight from a distance. She had safely used her thunder bolt tempo from far away and gust swords to anyone who got close. She was going so well until she heard a familiar laugh that she would never forget. A laugh that haunted her for 8 years.

"Shahaha!"

She looked and growled. "Arlong!" She said with as much venom as she could. Some of the Frishman crew members stayed back. They knew he had taken some of the steroids.

"Well, if it isn't my old crew member." Arlong gave a look. "You've grown to be a fine woman." Another look. "I'm hurt. You got rid of your tattoo. You were one of us." Arlong mocked.

"I was never one of you guys. You trapped me against my will." She became angrier as the memories flooded back. Being forced away from her home. Drawing maps against her will like a slave for a tyrant. Being forced to collect 100 million for a promise that he didn't plan to fulfil.

"Say that to the people you always betrayed. We all know that you'll eventually–" He stopped having to dodge a lightning strike. Nami was angry at what he just implied. She would have left during the last two years and three months if she did plan to do so.

She would never betray the Strawhats or Luffy. Especially not after what they've done for her.

Arlong had taken his time to observe his old cartographer's attacks, having seen what her weapon could do. It seemed that it could shoot lightning and wind. "Hm. Well, you seem you've gotten stronger but that's because of your toy." He knew her well. She wasn't one who relied on strength.

Arlong started running toward her preparing himself to dodge her gust technique. He ducked under her swing ready to punch her.

Only for him to punch a mirage. "What!" He shouted in surprise.

He was whacked in the face and then tripped by Nami who appeared from her mirage.

"Give it up. I'm not the weak little girl you trapped anymore." She slowly approached Arlong who was lying down on the ground.

Arlong gave a grin and quickly removed his teeth. He used his teeth as castanets where her tattoo was. She hit his arm and backed away clutching her arm.

"Are you sure? You will always be that weak human girl who could never do anything to fishmen." He held back wanting to enjoy this. He was going to enjoy this as long as he could. "After we beat you and your crew, we're going back to Cocoyashi Village where I'll take control again." He looked at her a little lecherously. "I almost forgot about your talent seeing how much you grew."

Focus. She could hear her master Kilik say to her. "I'm not giving up." She panted out. Still, she was starting to feel unsure if she could beat her former tormentor.

"You sure about that. You're alone now. That Strawhat boy won't be able to protect you." He taunted her. "You couldn't beat me back then and you can't beat me now." He laughed. The power he felt from taking the steroid was incredible.

Before Nami's insecurities and past could hinder her more, she saw Luffy on Noah's chain. She briefly made eye contact with him. The look in his eyes reassured her that she could beat Arlong.

After that moment, she heard two arrows fly past her hitting two fishmen who tried to sneak attack her. Some other nearby fishmen around her were slapped by a giant hand nearby only to be impaled by bamboo shoots. She looked and saw Usopp, Yuuto, and Robin not letting anyone else interfere with her fight.

She stopped clutching her injury and repositioned her grip. "I'm not alone." She breathed again.

This time, she could mentally hear all her crewmates telling her to focus. "I'll defeat you!" She declared with the same conviction she had all those years ago.

"Big words for a small girl." He doubted her. He then charged at her ready to use the teeth in his hand to chomp her arm.

He missed and he only saw a pole nearby.

 **Heaven Monument**

Nami jumped down with her Climatact striking downward with enough force for him to land on the ground. She ran a little bit back as he got up. As he chased after her, she suddenly stopped ready to face him.

Arlong, not ready for it, was suddenly sent up in the air by one of her upward strikes.

 **Ling-shen su phoenix loop**

Nami struck him again downward and as he bounced off the ground, she jabbed him 5 times on his way up and down. Her climatact's tip was also charged with the thunder balls. As he was falling down, Nami jabbed him one final time. This time also activating both gust sword and thunder tempo as he was blasted away.

As Nami panted to catch her breath, she was suddenly caught off guard another fisherman who tried to attack her. Only for him to be choked by hands that suddenly appeared. Nami whacked him and gave a grateful nod to Robin who nodded back

As Nami walked over to Arlong who was blown 20 yards away, she was covered by Usopp, Yuuto, Chopper, and Robin. They had respected her wishes of having a private fight alone. Arlong lied on the ground, unconscious and burnt by the electricity she used.

Before she could strike him one more time to finish him, she stopped and sat on the ground shedding a couple quiet tears before putting a fake straight face. She had to continue fighting.

For all the abuse she and her people suffered, she couldn't kill Arlong. They weren't fighting for vengeance. They were fighting for humans and fishmen to live together. That wouldn't honor the late Otohime or Shirahoshi's wishes.

Most importantly, her mother wouldn't want her to become a murderer. [2]

* * *

After the Battles

"Just as I expected of Luffy-kun's crewmates." Jimbei took down about 9,000 using his martial arts.

"Kick him a bit further next time. You stupid chef." Zoro had almost got hit by the giant. "I got around 8,000."

"Shut up mosshead, you want me to drop him on your head next time. I would have gotten 8,000 too if I wasn't busy fighting that giant."

"That was amazing Sanji" Chopper said in Beast Point. He was in control because Crusher was asleep. Chopper lost count after 1,400. His skill set wasn't good for taking down multiple opponents.

"Chopper, shrink down. You're making my robot look small." Frank smiled. He was happy with his 6,000. He would make his robot keep score next time, but more importantly, he was happy that his weapons worked.

"Franky! Your robot was so cool!" Usopp exclaimed. Happy, that he took 3,000 down.

"Was that robot actually good for anything?" Robin asked. She broke around 6,000 fishman's bones. Nami agreed with her, beating around 4,600.

Yuuto sighed only taking down about 3,000 with his bow. He could only hope Usopp and Franky would help him develop different types of arrows to take down his enemies faster. "Guys, we still have to deal with that!" Yuuto pointed to the sky bringing everyone's attention to a big problem coming their way.

Luffy was trying to destroy Noah before it crashed into Fishman Island.

Yuuto asked. "Franky, think your beam can help destroy that?" He, Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and Jimbei couldn't do anything to help stop Noah.

Franky assessed the situation. "It could but I might hit Luffy instead."

"Lightning's not going to work."

"I can't make hands out of thin air."

"I'm almost out of time." Chopper added.

"My pop greens might be able to slow it down." Usopp said but not believing that statement. Still, he had to do something.

"Wait! Look!" Sanji pointed out.

Sea Kings had arrived to pull Noah away. Everyone cried in relief at the turn of events.

Robin had looked up and realized the implications of what she had read from the Poneglyph. The power was described on the Poneglyph.

Chopper returned back to normal and couldn't move.

Zoro cried out. "Hey Chopper. You all right."

"I'm fine. After I use Beast Point, I can't move around for about 15 minutes now. I can still treat the injured." Robin saw him and immediately placed him on her lap. She sighed contently; it felt nice to have something cute on her lap.

"Robin-chan! I used my technique. My whole body aches! Let me rest on your lap!"

Annoyed, Zoro immediately called him out. "Idiot."

Yuuto sighed, silently wishing for Hancock's lap.

Only Nami tried to look wondering where Luffy was.

They heard a cry. "Please somebody help! Luffy -sama won't stop bleeding." Shirahoshi cried out. She placed him close to Chopper remembering that he was a doctor.

"Robin." He immediately plopped on the ground. "Look into my bag. There should be an injection."

She nodded. "Tell me what you need me to do."

Chopper only spoke out his instructions. "He needs more blood. Is there anyone with type F blood?"

Everyone in the crew shook their head; no one in the crew shared Luffy's blood type.

"Anyone?" The crew began to disperse to ask around.

Seeing everyone's hesitation, Jimbei came up. "I'm type F. Take as much as you need."

Chopper exclaimed. "But the law."

Jimbei smiled. "I'm a pirate. Remember."

As the blood transfusion took place, the fishmen began to see signs of a hope that one day they could live peacefully with the humans. [3]

"Jimbei." The crew looked happily to hear that Luffy was starting to recover. "Join my crew."

* * *

Timeskip

"Why did you leave the plaza as though running from something?" Shirahoshi asked. The Strawhats had left very soon once Luffy got a lot better.

"Seriously?" Zoro had to explain because of seniority. "After we made a giant spectacle fighting like that in front of the whole country." As if it wasn't obvious. "If we'd hung around, they might have made us out to be heroes." He shuddered saying the last word.

"Do you not like the idea of being heroes?" Shirahoshi innocently asked.

Zoro looked at the giant princess dismissing how naïve she was. "Just the thought of it makes me shudder." He looked at her as if talking to a toddler. "You know what a hero is? It's the kind of guy who shares his alcohol with others. Me." He pointed to himself. "I want to drink all the alcohol."

Yuuto could only smile at the how in sync both captain and the first mate had. The others nodded finally understanding the policy.

"What do you mean no?" Luffy shouted, interrupting Zoro's conversation. He was grabbing Jimbei. "Don't you want to go on adventures together?" Luffy had asked Jimbei to join the crew.

Others chimed in. "You should join the crew."

"It'd be cool to have another martial artist." Yuuto pointed out.

"It would be awesome to have a former Shichibukai on the crew." Usopp called out. Yuuto smiled hearing that and pointed out two fingers to Usopp. They would actually have two.

"I'm saying it's not possible right now." Jimbei explained himself. "It would be a great pleasure to travel with you all but there are things I must do. I have a duty."

"To Big Mom?" Yuuto asked. He was aware of it; that wasn't the Yonko he was thinking about targeting yet. He smiled happy they could still avoid her.

Jimbei nodded. They had talked about it a little. "I promise that I will find you again wherever you are. And at that time, if you feel the same way, I hope that you will invite me once more to join the Straw Hats!" Jimbei had seen how both Luffy and Yuuto worked. They were pirates different from the ones he normally worked with.

Just spending time with them he could see how Luffy would become Pirate King.

"You better!" Luffy called out.

Yuuto nodded knowing that his strength and actual experience compared to Hancock in the New World could help Luffy become Pirate King. Hancock didn't travel as much and was just noted for her strength and potential.

Nami smiled happily that supporting the idea.

Zoro then asked. "So where are we heading now? Straight to the New World?"

Before Yuuto could mention what his plan was, Shirahoshi interrupted. "What? Are you leaving the island already? We haven't had a chance to talk!"

At that, they heard a trumpet. "Please wait!" It looked like the king's messenger. "Straw Hat pirates! Please have a banquet with us!"

Everyone smiled at that knowing that they could never say no to a party.

* * *

Banquet

Everyone had a good time at the banquet except one.

Nami wasn't worried about Yuuto's earlier plans that he explained to Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook. The members Yuuto told would be able to help his plan immediately.

It wasn't the dangers that worried her. In fact, she was actually looking forward to the first place Yuuto was going.

It was just that her fight with Arlong brought back unnecessary memories. On one hand, she was happy that she defeated him, but on the other hand, she wanted to kill him but couldn't. Thinking about her new friend Shirahoshi and Bellemere and what they would have wanted stopped her.

After drinking beer for a couple rounds, she excused herself from the banquet to deal with this hollow feeling she felt. She noticed a couple things. Yuuto whispered something to Jimbei which caused Jimbei became nervous and had to be excused. Yuuto then left telling everyone that he needed to check up on his girlfriend. Robin had also been looking at King Neptune a little intently.

As Nami made her way outside, she looked at the city around to appreciate the sights of Fishman Island. Maybe that would distract her thoughts.

"Nami?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Luffy?" What was he doing here? Two years ago, he would have enjoyed the party and not cared about what others thought. He wouldn't be away from the party.

"I noticed you weren't enjoying the party compared to everyone else." Luffy pointed out. Nami marveled a little bit. Luffy was always deceptively perceptive and had great instincts about people. Or did Luffy care about her more. "You didn't eat that much meat."

Nami half laughed. "It's called counting calories." She looked at his blank look realizing that he was still confused. "Don't worry about it. You should go back in. Eat more meat." She put on a fake smile not wanting to ruin his mood also.

Luffy simply stated. "But I want to stay outside with you." Nami's heart fluttered a little hearing that and she knew that she shouldn't overreact to that. There was no way Luffy changed that much in two years. "You're not smiling while everyone else is having a good time."

He did notice and her heart started racing a little more. "It's nothing Luffy. It doesn't matter." Not knowing how to explain the situation to him, she looked back at the night sky or ocean in hopes he would leave.

"It does matter." He looked at her. "On our way here, you stayed by my side after you asked me about Ace. Makino taught me that I should do the same for someone else." She had an idea about who Makino was; she seemed like an older sister to Luffy. Nami looked at him and felt this certain presence from him whenever he was serious about saving his crew. It never scared her, despite how strong and powerful his presence was.

After a pause, he took off his hat and put it on her. Nami stayed silent, surprised at the gesture. She wasn't that depressed, but it did make her happy to wear his hat. It was a sign of trust. He continued speaking. "It hurts doesn't it?"

"What?" She wasn't injured and waved her hands. "I'm fine Luffy. Really –" Chopper made sure that she wasn't injured after her fight. She smiled noticing Chopper's concern. She was even happier when Chopper kicked Arlong's face when he was unconscious. Other members joined as well.

"Losing someone." She was interrupted. It seemed as if her mood affected him as well. "In front of you."

She was surprised. "How did you?" Her crew told her that Luffy didn't listen to her story. She didn't mind that he didn't know the whole story.

Luffy continued. "I understand your eyes now. It was the look you gave when you beat Arlong." Nami didn't realize that her captain had been paying attention to her even so far away. In fact, she realized that he was indirectly talking about Ace. "Did Arlong kill someone close to you?"

Nami cried a little bit hearing that. She had come to terms with her death a long time ago, but was crying for Luffy's sake. Those hidden words showed that he hadn't really accepted Ace's death. "Yes. It was my mother. She gave her life for me." She confessed and stopped sniffling.

Luffy nodded gravely. "Ace gave his life for me too." Nami looked in shock; she never read that in the newspaper. The newspaper reported that the rescue was a failure and Ace was executed; the World Government must have changed the news to make the marines look better. "Does the pain ever go away?" Luffy asked the one who was more experienced with this pain. He couldn't believe that he lost another brother.

Nami reflected. The look he had must have been similar to the look she gave him when she pleaded him for his help.

This was her chance to help him all those years ago. She understood the pain of losing someone who sacrificed for the sake of a loved one. Unfortunately, she sighed. "No." She said truthfully; she couldn't lie and say that it stopped hurting.

After a pause, an awkward silence followed. Nami knew she had to say something to comfort Luffy. It was something she had considered during the start of the two years. "But I remember what she told me." Luffy looked at her. "As long as you're alive there will be better things later." She repeated the words that Bellmere had always advised her.

It was true. She wouldn't have met Luffy or the crew if she had died earlier.

She looked at Luffy who stayed quiet. She decided to elaborate. "It's true. I wouldn't have become a Strawhat. I wouldn't have these fun adventures with my nakama." She paused before tentatively whispering. "I wouldn't have met you."

Luffy widened his eyes hearing that, nodded. "I'm glad." Luffy was thinking that this situation felt something similar to whatever he noticed between Yuuto and Hancock. "Ace said something similar. To live a life with no regrets." He felt comforted hearing and saying that.

Nami confirmed the sentiment. "I'm sure he wanted you to keep on living." A slight pause. "Remember, that I'm here for you if you want to talk about it." She smiled at him happy to give him something she didn't have during the 8 years.

A companion.

Luffy pondered a bit. "I see." After a while, "Shishishi."

"What's that?" Nami was confused about his laugh.

"I wanted to cheer you up but you ended up cheering me up. Can we make a promise Nami?" Nami nodded and then he held her hand much to her surprise. Luffy was imitating what Yuuto always did when he promised something to Hancock; he noticed that it seemed to work. "If I cheer you up when you're like this, could you do the same thing for me? I think our loved ones would want us to be happy." Luffy remembered the promise he made to Gen.

Nami slowly nodded. She was sure she was turning red based off the way her heart was beating. It sounded like she might have a chance with him.

Why did he have to say things like that in this position? Did it mean anything?

Why were they making eye contact? Was Luffy actually making a move on her?

Her mind asked why wasn't Luffy inching closer? He stayed a respectable distance away. But despite that, she didn't move closer.

Interrupting her thought process, Jimbei came over looking for those two. "Hey. I need to talk to each one of you about the New World. I gave some information to Yuuto already but he seemed busy right now."

Nami quickly backed away, embarrassed about the whole thing. Luffy seemed to have not noticed said. "Ok. Let's go!"

As Luffy led the way, Nami couldn't help but sigh. Maybe, it wasn't as hopeless as she thought.

* * *

At a Sweet Factory

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were carrying their treasure back to their ship. King Neptune had given the Strawhats treasure as a reward for what they had just done. Along the way, they passed by the Sweet Factory. A large crowd was gathered.

Seeing the crowd, Luffy gave his thanks assuming they were the workers for the factory. "The meat was really good but those sweets were even better." It was rare for him to say something like that.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.

"Tasty sweets!" Asked a lion mink. "Who are these people?" He looked at the three and scrolled through his journal checking the bounties. "That's Strawhat Luffy. What's he doing here?"

"Listen. Mr. Pekoms. I can explain." The minister tried to explain calmly.

Seeing the stranger, Luffy asked. "Who are you? Are you here to buy some sweets? I had a ton earlier. They're great."

Pekoms gripped the minister. "What is the meaning of this?" He tried to scare him threateningly with his small beady eyes.

"Calm down Pekoms. Allow me to introduce myself." Another man with long legs intervened. "I am Baron Tamago. Is it true that you have been enjoying the sweets from this factory?"

Despite the crowd signaling to Luffy to be quiet, Luffy blissfully unaware stated. "Yep!" Those were good sweets.

Baron Tamago sighed and explained the treaty Fishman Island had with the Big Mom Pirates. Luffy nodded remembering that Yuuto had mentioned this before. In exchange for protection, Fishman Island had to give 10 tons of sweets. If they didn't….

At that moment, the Den Den mushi from the Big Mom Pirates rang. Pekoms and Tamago were scared.

Luffy picked it up and answered. Zoro grinned in anticipation. He had a feeling he knew what Luffy was going to do.

Palace

"You gave all the treasure to Big Mom!" Nami, Neptune, and Minister of Right shouted.

"Yeah. She was going to destroy Fishman Island just because there weren't any sweets left. Don't worry. I've gone and picked a fight with her now."

"With a Yonkou!" the rest of the crew except Nami, Yuuto, and Robin shouted comically. Yuuto was still having a private Den-Den mushi conversation with Hancock. Nami and Robin understood how Luffy always wanted to protect people he liked.

Neptune and Minister of Right glanced at each other and started sweating.

Nami sighed. "I understand that you had to pick a fight with her under the circumstances." It was one of the reasons why she loved him. He always wanted to protect the people who were kind to him.

"That's right! I don't care who she is -"

A couple punches and climatact hits later. "But why did you give her all the treasure?" Nami sighed a little angrily. She was wondering why she loved Luffy more than treasure. Why couldn't she love treasure more than Luffy? At least treasure would never betray her in this way.

"That's your problem?" The crew except Robin shouted.

At that moment, Yuuto finally came out and found his crew at the lobby. He looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji beaten on the ground and sighed. "What did I miss?" Maybe he shouldn't have talked for two hours on the mushi with Hancock. He started massaging his eyebrows preparing for the upcoming headache.

Nami cried out first. "Luffy gave Big Mom all of our treasures!"

Yuuto looked in shock. Big Mom was here? Wait what treasure?

Before Nami could clarify, others shouted. "That's not the important news!"

"Luffy picked a fight with Big Mom."

"Big Mom's going to kill us!"

Yuuto shouted in frustration and groaned. "That's what happens when I'm not babysitting you guys for how long!" He fell to the ground and twitched. Right when he thought he could talk to Hancock peacefully without a worry, they end up on the creek.

There goes his plans of secretly weakening Kaido and Doflamingo. At least with Kaido, they could weaken his resources enough. Yuuto had strategized to fight Kaido indirectly.

He wanted to target Kaido first because Kaido typically stayed in Wano and would send out his All Stars at worst. Big Mom was scarier because she actually came with her attacking force. They didn't have enough allies or firepower to directly fight her yet.

Still, if Big Mom was after them now, he might as well target Big Mom now.

"Yuuto" Franky poked at him on the ground. "Does this change –"

Nami interrupted. "No. We're going there immediately. Especially after what those idiots did." She gripped her hands in anger. She needed some treasure badly.

Yuuto nodded silently agreeing. "It's important we go there first." It was still an important first step to help Luffy become Pirate King.

"But wouldn't that –" Brook said.

Yuuto shushed knowing the implications. It might attract Kaido's attention to them. He gave a solemn look at Franky and Usopp. Franky nodded immediately and went to start working on his project. Usopp sighed and followed after knowing how much help Franky was going to need.

Zoro, and Sanji looked curious as to what was going on. "Luffy do you know?" They were curious about what Yuuto was planning

He shrugged. "All I know is that Yuuto said there were certain places he wanted to go. He promised me an adventure everywhere we went."

Yuuto smiled. He couldn't tell Luffy the plan because he would always ruin it unintentionally. "When do we leave?" The others he could tell parts of it.

"Tomorrow." Nami stated and rubbed her hands a little greedily. This next city that Yuuto wanted to go better be what he promised. [4]

* * *

[1]

I always felt that he should have made an actual appearance this arc.

Also for Nami to beat Arlong definitely would have made Fishman Island a lot better. Let's be honest. We want to see a Nami vs. Arlong fight. I do believe that Oda does have plans for it when they come to Fishman Island again.

I'm predicting that when they come to Fishman Island again, Nami is fighting Arlong.

[2] I really didn't want to write certain parts as you can tell. The fights I didn't write out I didn't really have plans on how to change them.

Some things to notice Nami, Usopp, and Chopper are braver now. I feel they were the bravest in this arc after timeskip but then they went back to being cowards. Understandable character flaws because they were weak but it kind of made everything go back to normal.

I didn't like that because what's the point of the two year training. I plan on bringing that up again

Also, Nami's moves that she used were taken from Kilik from Soul Calibur XI.

[3]

I wish I could have written the blood transfusion scene better. I recommend rewatching or reading that scene again. It's pretty powerful.

[4]

Caribou is still in the barrel the entire time. He doesn't find out about Poseidon this time; an important secret and probably important plot point right now.

Any ideas what they're going to do in the next place? The first place they're going to is already planned out. Keep in mind that Yuuto wants to take to certain detours to weaken the Yonko.

This may range from taking down secret businesses, exposing certain ones to the Government, stopping weapons, etc. to weaken the Yonko's empire.

The places after are going to be a bunch of fun adventures leading to opportunities for their character. We are going to see more friendship moments and the adventures they take may help their dreams as well. The first place though won't help anyone's dream other than Luffy's dream.


	41. Chapter 41 One Piece Gold

Disclaimer : Nope. I don't own One Piece of chapter 945 (It is not out yet as of this chapter).

Wow to chapter 944.

Thanks for the views, follows, and favorites. They have been encouraging to me.

Headsup, I will be updating slower from now on. Not only am I busier, but I am also making sure that I develop my plot correctly. The next arc is me going off canon and I'm making my own story.

* * *

One Piece Gold

2 days later after sailing away from Fishman Island

"So this is the Gran Tesoro!" Franky marveled.

In front of the Thousand Sunny was the Gran Tesoro, a gold ship with a city inside.

"Hey Nami!" Luffy called out. "Is that really a ship?"

"That's right Luffy." Nami answered. "It's known as the world's largest entertainment city." She gave a look toward Yuuto which Yuuto nodded. He went inside to get ready for his disguise.

"It's humongous!" Chopper marveled.

"Shishishi. Full speed to the casino!" Luffy cried out.

"Aye!" The Strawhats called out. They had been looking forward to this place where they could get rich.

On the way, some yellow dust floated on them. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper stood still too admire not paying attention to the background concert.

"It looks like…" Chopper started.

"… gold dust…?" Usopp concluded.

Hearing that, Nami inspected it. "It's real gold!" She turned around. "Quick, everyone gather as much of this dust as you can."

Yuuto soon came out with fake brown hair and fake scars on his cheeks. He also wore fake black glasses. As he walked out, his white suit and red tie that Hancock got for him was also sprinkled with some gold dust. "You're going to need lots of gold dust in order for it to be worth it." He didn't want to bother.

Brook who was on lookout duty cried out. "We've got company."

Still, it was nothing to worry about; the invaders were weak and were easy to beat. It was a short fight that the invaders had to run away. Those that did run away were soon held and encased in gold tendrils.

They then heard a loud announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Gran Tesoro!" After a pause. "Enjoy your stay."

* * *

The Docks

As they sailed before they reached the docks, Yuuto called out to his crew mates who were getting ready. "Make sure you guys are properly dressed." He was already ready. "This is a fancy place for us to get some money." The plan was to win some games in the casinos. They had been preparing for this the last two days.

He then went outside where Zoro was already ready. They would watch over the ship while everyone else got dressed up.

As the others got out, Luffy pouted. He was dressed up formally which he disliked. "I don't understand why I had to – " He stopped looking around him completely distracted by the gold around. "Ooooh!"

The port that they had landed was completely filled with gold.

As they landed on the deck, a gorgeous woman with scarlet hair approached them. "Wow!" she looked at them. "Would you look at that? Are you guys the famous Straw Hat crew?"

They turned to her. Yuuto made a mental note to himself that he would have to buy the outfit she was wearing for Hancock. This woman didn't make it look as good as Hancock would.

The stranger took off her glasses. "A pleasure to meet you!"

Sanji immediately saw her beautiful green eyes and couldn't help himself. "A pleasure to meet you as well miss." Sanji kissed her glove.

She blushed. "My goodness, what a gentleman you are. Anyways, my name is Baccarat. I'm the concierge for our V.I.P. guests."

Yuuto asked. "We're V.I.P. guests?" That was a surprise seeing that they purposely came here.

"Yeah. You guys are famous pirates." She then showed their bounties from Enies Lobby and a poster of Soul King. The only changes were Luffy's bouty became 450 million and Yuuto's bounty became 120 million bounty. "We recognize your captain immediately. He looks the same." She looked at Yuuto and guessed he must be the Black Fox.

"Now this way please!" She led them to a car. The men except Zoro, Sanji, Yuuto, and Brook looked excited seeing it. Nami and Robin just stared at it blankly.

As they got on, Baccarat explained the history of the city and the rules. Yuuto kept a look around noticing the Den Den mushis scattered around. Yuuto also heard the veiled threat Baccarat mentioned about winning.

Still, he had faith that his crew would win whatever they threw at them in the casinos.

He quickly left the car as they entered the casino. They needed to win as much money as soon as possible. Zoro, Sanji, and Brook also quickly followed after Yuuto eagerly wanting to play some games.

With those who stayed behind, Robin reminded the rest of them. "Remember Usopp, you have a tell. Play something else that doesn't involve bluffing." She then left with Chopper who wanted to play some poker. They had played a couple poker games the last couple days. Usopp lost the second most.

Usopp, embarrassed, shook his head knowing he wasn't allowed to play poker. He would try his hand on slots with Franky.

Only Nami was left with Luffy. Nami sighed she'd make sure Luffy doesn't play poker and realized that she was left with babysitting duty. "Luffy, let's play some blackjack."

* * *

V.I.P. Room

Yuuto smiled. He was playing poker with strangers. He was a skilled enough poker player being able to read some people's tells really quickly and able to calculate the probabilities. Sure he lost some games, but that's because he didn't have as good of a hand compared to other people like the time he had a straight but someone else had a flush.

Still, he was at a net positive of 50,200,400 berris by himself.

He was lucky that his opponents were complete amateurs. He was sure that he wouldn't have won that much against real professionals.

Sensing Baccarat approaching him, he gave her a cold glare. He didn't want any other strange women other than a select few to touch him. She stopped as if threatened by his stare. "I was just about to tell you that because your crew was winning so much. Maybe they would like to try the V.I.P. room. High risk. High reward."

He looked at his hand. A 3 of hearts and a 6 of clubs. He didn't have a good hand anyway. "I fold. Is it ok I take my winnings and leave with her?" He asked his opponents.

The dealer and the people were ok with him leaving. They didn't want to lose anymore to him.

He turned to her. "Lead me to my crew." He looked forward to this. He had heard rumors of the riches they could get in the VIP room.

As she led the way to where his crew was, he saw that they had quite a large amount of winnings. By his estimation, they won a total of 350 million berries.

That wasn't enough. They would need more in order to fund Luffy's dream of Pirate King.

"You ready to take on the challenge. It's a special gamble where the winners become billionaires." Everyone smirked and looked at Yuuto. It was what Yuuto had told them.

Nami confidently declared. "You bet." She had seen Luffy's luck on blackjack and on slots already. Luffy was really lucky today.

All the Strawhats smiled smugly believing in their luck.

Baccarat smiled maliciously realizing that they found new victims. "That's great. Very impressive." It was time to add more losers to this city especially with her power. She led them to the elevator wondering what she would do with her new added share.

As the elevator rose, it stopped on the room. Baccarat waited for her partner Tanaka to phase through the wall. As Tanaka phased through the wall, he grinned sinisterly especially when he saw Yuuto.

Luffy, Nami, Yuuto, and Robin shouted in surprise quickly which the others followed. Yuuto quickly noticed that Tanaka was a devil fruit user.

"He's the security guard of the casino. Tanaka-san." Baccarat exclaimed.

"Welcome." He said with hidden animosity, directed toward Yuuto.

Tanaka had been embarrassed by the Black Fox before. Before his current job with Gran Tesoro, he was the head security of numerous banks and museums. He had a spotless record of nothing ever being stolen before the Black Fox came.

He grinned happily for his revenge. It would be soon; his employer Gild Tesoro mentioned he wanted to make the Black Fox pay especially when they got on this island.

Tesoro promised a punishment worse than death.

"He can slip through anything using his Phase ability." Baccarat explained.

Tanaka internally sighed. Death was too good for the Black Fox. Still, he had to pretend to be cordial to him. He had the upper hand this time. The Black Fox didn't know who he was; they never officially met.

"Ok. Let me have your hands please." He offered out to everyone who took it. He then led everyone through the wall.

Yuuto looked ahead. "So by special gambling you mean rolling the dice." He looked around and saw a familiar face.

"Who's that?" Zoro asked.

"Dice." A strong intimidating and enormous man came in front, ready to roll the heavy dice. Yuuto noted remembering the files the Marines had about him. "He's got a reputation as the champion of the underground death match shows." He warned them.

Dice then demonstrated his strength by holding the two dice up and catching it in a large bell. He slammed the bell in the ground giving a loud thud. He then grabbed an axe to prepare himself.

"He's going to strike the bell!" Brook reasoned that must be why he had the axe.

Dice jumped in the air and spun himself. Just as he landed, he headbutted the bell cracking it in two.

Brook yelled comically. "What was the point of the axe?"

Shaking his head blissfully, Dice yelled. ""Feels good!"

The demonstration was done. "So what do you say. Here you have to bet three times the money you earned." Baccarat pointed out.

Before the Strawhats could huddle to discuss, Luffy cried out. "We bet it all on snake eyes." Yuuto was angry. Snake eyes was one of the least likely outcomes. He ran to Luffy ready to pummel him.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Dice had already rolled and showed the result.

Snake eyes.

Yuuto unclenched his fists and hugged Luffy briefly. "I'll never doubt you again!"

Nami ran up to Luffy as well. "Wow." She exclaimed. Luffy was really lucky. She hugged him as well. Luffy beamed at that.

Baccarat grinned. This crew had incredible luck to win. "As expected of you, Master Luffy. You luck is quite superb." She licked her lips greedily ready to take the luck away. It was only a moment of time before Gild Tesoro arrived.

"My. My. Welcome to the Gran Tesoro." Tesoro walked down the stairs. He smiled happy at his chance for vengeance and the luck shown.

Seeing the Black Fox brought back memories of how he was a slave. When he discovered that a Chaser became a pirate, Tesoro vowed to kill him just to pay what the Chasers did.

Still, it was better to take all his wealth first, make him his property, and then kill him.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"Pardon me. It's a pleasure to meet you." He slightly lied. It was a slight pleasure to meet the Black Fox, one of his possible tormentors all those years ago. "I am Gild Tesoro, the owner of this ship." He smiled. "So how about it? Let's make another interesting gamble." He smiled; he was only moments away from killing the Black Fox. "Would you like to compete against me?"

Luffy looked interested. "Compete?"

"How about using these rules?" Tesoro sat down. "If you win, I'll give you an investment worth ten times your earnings."

Yuuto quickly mentally rounded what they would win. That should be ten billion, but that's still wasn't enough to fund Luffy's dream to become Pirate King. He signaled to his crew to get ready.

"Of course, should you lose, you'll earn debt ten times your earnings. You see, I'm simply disgustingly rich. I need some excitement if I don't raise the stakes like this." He then looked at Luffy knowing that there was no way he could lose. "So what will it be?" The Strawhats had fallen into their trap.

Overconfident, Luffy smiled. "Sounds good! I ain't gonna lose." The Strawhats smiled at that trusting in their captain like they have always done.

Tesoro smiled and signaled to Baccarat who nodded happily to finally reveal her true colors.

Luffy sat next to Tesoro. "I bet it all again! Snake Eyes!" Some of the crew members nervously gulped.

"As expected of Master Luffy." Baccarat looked forward to stealing his luck. She took off her gloves, which all the Strawhats noticed. "What an admirable max bet." She slowly approached him ready to rob him of his luck.

"Now!" Yuuto shouted.

At that moment, Usopp quickly fired Seastone handcuffs at Baccrat's arms instantly locking her and unable to use her powers. As she gasped in surprise, Usopp quickly fired a sleeping pill made by Chopper putting her to sleep.

Chopper pushed a button that activated the Thousand Sunny to fire seawater missiles and torpedoes throughout the ship.

Nami pressed another button that opened Sunny's head to release Weather Balls. These Weather balls were different that it would pour out seawater rain throughout the ship.

Franky showed his hand cannons and splashed Zoro and Yuuto with seawater. Those two were the only ones who didn't shower before they got off the ship.

Luffy punched Tesoro out through the door leading him outside. Yuuto took out his newly designed fox mask with a red mouth and red whiskers. He immediately started fighting Tanaka. "So we finally meet face to face." He taunted him.

Nami, Sanji, Robin, and Franky ran out of the VIP room .

Before Zoro could fully engage with Dice, some mooks prepared to fire at him. He easily dodged without looking at them. "They're all yours." He called out much to the confusion of the henchman.

They were soon sliced by Brook or lifted up in the air by pop greens.

"We got it." Chopper called out as Zoro clashed with Dice.

Outside, Tesoro could only watch the pandemonium unfold. "What? What's going on?" He motioned to encase Yuuto or Luffy with gold only to realize they didn't have any gold on them. "That's impossible. I sprinkled all you with gold when you came in. Unless... Seawater…"

Yuuto only laughed remembering what they did.

* * *

Flashback Earlier Before the Docks

"I don't get why I have to take a shower!" If there was something that Luffy hated, it was taking a shower. He hated how weak he felt in water. Luffy complained. They were about to dock on Gran Tesoro.

Only Usopp and Franky sighed. They had the misfortune of being picked to force Luffy to shower. They had just seen what Yuuto was talking about first hand. Those pirates they were fighting became gold statues. "Just do it unless you want to end up as a gold Luffy statue." Usopp added.

"We could always use more decorations around the Thousand Sunny." Franky added. "Nami's been asking about it. I wonder what she would think about a gold statue of Luffy." He still thought there was something going on between them.

Robin, who had been waiting outside, quietly giggled. "I wonder if Luffy would die from suffocation or from ingesting poison."

Chopper pointed out to Robin. "Gold's actually not toxic to the human body."

"Fine. I'll shower." Luffy finally gave in as he saw Franky and Usopp armed with hoses. They were going to give him a shower whether he wanted it or not.

End Flashback

* * *

Tesoro ran back in and yelled. "What's going on?" He tried to wake Baccarat up to no avail. Luffy punched him again.

* * *

Flashback Back at Fishman Island

"It's not like for you to want to go to the casinos." Brook asked. Everyone was surprised that their first destination was Gran Tesoro.

"We need the money." Yuuto answered. "This place has 20% of the world's money."

Nami became berri eyes at what he was implying. "We're stealing the Tesoro money? I thought it was almost impossible to steal them." She remembered the last time they robbed a bank they got diamonds. She wondered what else she could steal along the way.

Usopp looked excited. "It's like our Yuuto to think of a way to steal the impossible."

Franky praised. "Don't underestimate Yuuto. He's the best thief around. Are we going to need anything?" He looked at the designs. "I could make an electromagnetic bomb that shuts down the ship."

Yuuto gave a smirk and told Franky not to do that. "We're actually going to take EVERYTHING by FORCE." He emphasized. "The entire ship." Everyone looked surprised.

He nodded understanding that typically he was sneakier. "I don't have enough information about the entire security grid but it's who we have to worry about. It's easier to do it by force." Some of them sweat dropped at that.

End Flashback

* * *

"We're after your entire gold. All of it." Yuuto threatened. "Every single berri."

"What? You won't get my money." Tesoro was angry that a Chaser had the audacity to steal his money or his property.

"I'm not letting the Black Fox steal from me again!" Tanaka cried out. His pride as a security guard was also on the line.

"Sorry, but we need it more than you do!" Zoro commented. Zoro continued engaging with Dice.

Luffy nodded. "My crew member told me how you enslaved people too." Luffy hated people who took away people's freedom. "You're going down."

"That's ironic for you to say." Tesoro yelled out. "He's a Chaser." He pointed at Yuuto

Before Yuuto could ask what his problem was, Luffy called out. "He's not a Chaser. He's my nakama." He then punched Tesoro pushing him outside and ran to meet him.

* * *

Tanaka vs Yuuto

Tanaka and Yuuto were engaged in a gun/bow fight. Yuuto would be able to dodge while Tanaka phased through every arrow.

"Give up Fox. I'm not losing to you this time." He was jumping up and down while shooting him.

"What do you mean this time?" Yuuto was using this as practice for where he would be and observing his powers. He fired again; this time, he disarmed Tanaka.

"You don't remember." Tanaka was enraged hearing that. This wasn't a one-sided rivalry. "The Lourve at Lululsia Kingdom." He said as if that explained everything.

Yuuto stared impassively. "I've only been there once." He remembered stealing something there.

"The National Bank of Bourgeouis Kingdom."

Yuuto shook his head not remember seeing him at the places. He had to steal an important box stored in the vault.

"The art museum of Figs at Foodvalten." Was the art piece he was stealing there a Picasso or Monet? He couldn't remember.

He chuckled as if to ask why this Tanaka listing out places that he stole from?

"Wait. You're - " Yuuto shouted as if he remembered who he was.

Tanka smiled sinisterly finally being recognized by him. He got his gun back from the floor.

"Wait. The guys I stole it for were World Nobles. You're not a World Noble." Yuuto smirked secretly enjoying this moment.

"No!" He yelled as he continued jumping up and down waving his gun angrily. "I was the head of security of all those places."

"Oh!" Yuuto smiled at that. He knew that of course. The Marines had a file on him including his former profession. Yuuto dodged another incoming bullet. "Thanks for the easy security; it was quite easy to go through them." Yuuto continued mocking him while dodging more bullets. He shot another arrow disarming him once more.

"Oh fuck you." Tanaka was becoming increasingly frustrated. He picked up his gun again. "You won't be so smug when I kill you." Tanaka fired once more.

Yuuto simply sidestepped. "You're going to have to come closer to me if you want to actually hurt me." He was simply baiting him.

Tanaka shook his head. "Nah. You don't really know how to use a weapon." As long as he was far away, the Black Fox couldn't hurt him. Just as he fired again, the arrow hit his gun once more causing him to drop it.

Yuuto smirked. He had been consistent so far but play time was over. He needed to hurry and help get the gold off the ship. He fired an arrow at where Tanaka was going to pick up his gun again.

Tanaka phased through the arrow through his head, causing it to miss. "You missed."

"Did I?" Yuuto smiled.

Boom!

Tanaka felt an explosion pushing him forward toward Yuuto. Yuuto slammed his palm into him. "Sorry. I can't play around anymore. I got plenty of things I need to do for this ship." He smiled, glad about his new arrows.

He got the idea from Usopp's arsenal and pop greens. Usopp gladly helped when Yuuto explained that he needed to be able to attack from a farther distance as well. He needed a little bit extra fire power when it came to far distance attacks.

He punched Tanaka again and handcuffed him with seastone to make sure that he was down for good.

"I'll be off to steal from you again." As Tanaka was unconscious, Yuuto also mentioned. "Oh. Looks like you'll be losing your job again as well." That was his last taunt. He looked around and saw Usopp, Chopper, and Brook. Most of the fodder were knocked out.

He motioned to them to keep an eye on Tanaka while he and Chopper ran to continue the plan. There was a lot that they needed to do.

* * *

With Nami and Sanji

Nami and Sanji were on their way to where "Tesoro Money" was. The money had to be secured during all of this commotion.

A short purple haired woman ran to intercept them. Nami got her Clim-atact out ready to strike.

"Nami!"

She gasped. She knew that voice and didn't strike her. "Carina! You damn thief girl." She focused back. "What are you doing here?" She was a former rival.

Sanji stopped and fought against the fodder that were coming at them.

Carina gave a look. "Are you here to steal?"

Nami looked, grinned, and nodded. "Yes. I won't lose this time." This time, she had a team she could trust.

"Not unless I steal it first." Carina challenged.

The two started running toward the Hyper Suite Room.

As Sanji beat the minions up, he looked and saw the maidens were already gone. "Wait for me oh Nami and her beautiful friend!" They would need a knight to protect them.

Or a witness to a girl's fight. He smiled at the aspect of it.

* * *

With Franky and Robin

Franky and Robin had separated from Nami and Sanji. Nami and Sanji went to locate the Tesoro Money, while they were going to take control of the ship.

Franky was able to go to the control rooms and blast every fountain with more seawater.

 _"I got the layout of the ship. Plant the devices at these coordinates."_ Franky ordered out to the ship which released his robots.

Robin smiled while choking her enemies. "I didn't know Raise Max was here. Good thing I contacted the Revolutionaries as well." She smiled. Maybe Sabo would reunite with Luffy soon.

She hated keeping that fact as a secret from Luffy and the others. However, it was something that he needed to believe with his own eyes.

Franky was about to hand her some of the equipment but Robin refused. "I'm not done breaking people's bones here." There were plenty of enemies that they had to deal with before they could start collecting the gold.

* * *

Couple minutes later

"I got it!" Nami and Carina both shouted at the same time as they opened the door to the Hyper Suite Room.

They started shoving each other out the way of the door.

"It's mine." Carina pointed out.

"No the treasure's mine. You left me. Consider it as an apology."

"No I didn't. I came back for you." As if that fixed everything.

"You took my treasure too!"

"They would have killed us both even if I didn't give."

"I escaped when Mad Treasure left to chase after you."

Sanji just watched enjoying the sight of two girls shoving each other. Maybe some of their clothes would be torn.

Suddenly, a giant gold fist punched the walls came apart. "Just what do you think you are doing with my money?" Tesoro had appeared. Nami saw Luffy flying away from them and gulped.

The giant gold fist scared both Carina and Nami and they tried to hide behind the door.

Looking at the offender who ruined the moment, Sanji yelled. "You never interrupt a girl's fight. NEVER!" He immediately heated up. **"Diable Jambe"**

Tesoro noticed the flames but wasn't worried. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" He punched Sanji's kick which melted some gold.

This wouldn't be a problem for Tesoro if he didn't awaken his fruit. However, he felt whatever his gold felt. Tesoro felt how hot the kick was and quickly deactivated his power.

He could control the metal still as a golem but he couldn't feel it anymore.

As he recovered, he looked at Sanji once more. This could be problematic if he could melt his gold away. He couldn't underestimate the trash pirates anymore. The captain already gave him trouble. This one could as well.

Not to mention the Chaser he wanted to kill.

 **Gon L'ira di Dio**

Sanji jumped up and dodged the first tendril. However, other tendrils came and it was hard for him to dodge in the air. They kept coming until they hit him away from the scene.

Tesoro quickly turned to attack Carina and Nami. Before he could grab them, he was then met by an exploding arrow and a slash. He looked at who intervened.

Yuuto and Zoro had finished their part. Yuuto was trusted to plant the devices while Zoro had finished his fight.

"More trash came out to play." Tesoro groaned out. They just kept coming.

Yuuto started firing at all the gold tendrils that came after him and Zoro.

Zoro leaped up the air to see if he could cut through this giant. They needed to expose the real body who was hiding.

 **Santoryu Ogi: Ichidai Sanzen Daisen Sekai**

As Zoro pierced through the giant golem, Yuuto immediately fired an arrow through the hole that Zoro made. Only for it to explode within Tesoro's body.

Tesoro stopped the explosion from spreading and smashed the two Strawhats fighting him into the ground. He went after Carina and Nami again. Tesoro turned around and saw Carina and Nami. He went after Carina first; traitors had to be punished first.

As his fist approached Carina, Nami pushed her away much to Carina's surprise. "Now. We're even." As Nami weakly called out as she was lifted in the air.

As Tesoro continued squeezing her, he noticed her look of determination. "You should give up! Give in to despair and grovel before me!"

Defiant, Nami called out "I still believe!" She had faith in her crew and captain. They never let her down before.

"Tesoro!" Tesoro looked over and saw Luffy who seemed angrier. "Let go of her… right now!" Luffy was bleeding a little bit.

"Laugh!" Tesoro feverishly ordered. "Or do you still have faith?" He looked at him. "You people are nothing but trash that lost my gamble! All the losers aboard this ship are my property."

Luffy yelled in a way that reminded Tesoro when he was so young and naïve. The time before he lost Stella. "You're the type of guy I hate the most. Now let her go!"

Tesoro smirked at Luffy's foolishness. "When I tell you to laugh, you better laugh. I am free to do what I like with my stuff."

"Shut up. I'm the one who'll decide when I laugh." Luffy needed to hurry before Nami got hurt.

Before Tesoro threw Nami down, Yuuto had already sneaked on top the gold golem's shoulder. Yuuto fired an explosive arrow at the elbow causing Tesoro to momentarily lose control of his arm and dropped Nami.

Luffy caught Nami while Yuuto skywalked away. Tesoro then looked at Yuuto. "You piece of trash!" He took the full punch to which Yuuto tried blocking but fell back due to the force

Yuuto hoped that he could recover enough before he collided with a building.

Luckily he landed on something soft. He looked behind, realizing he landed on one of Usopp's pop greens. Yuuto made eye contact with Usopp to show his thanks. Yuuto then yelled. "It's all up to you now Luffy!"

"Right! Gear 4! **Bounceman**!" Luffy sprang up toward Tesoro's face and aimed.

 **Gum Gum Kong Gun**

Tesoro's golem took the attack to his face causing the golem to fall down on its back.

"Luffy! Tesoro's still awake! Keep at it!" Yuuto shouted..

Using gold's malleability property, Tesoro awakened his powers once more and turned the gold golem to a gold sea trapping anyone on the ground. Sanji and Yuuto started skywalking with Tesoro trying to catch those two.

"Sanji be careful!" Yuuto called out. "Gold is the most malleable metal in the planet. 28 grams of it is enough to stretch 5 kilometers." As Yuuto skywalked, he kept firing explosive arrows at the tendrils around him.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Sanji had already seen how much gold could expand and defended himself as much he could using **Poêle à Frire: Spectre** to fire at the tendrils. Some of the tendrils melted on contact.

Luffy knew that it was a matter of time before they would be caught by gold. Luffy yelled grabbing Tesoro's attention. "My friends are not your property!" He needed to end this as quickly as possible.

 **Gomu Gomu no Leo Bazooka**

Luffy punched Tesoro back that it broke through. The shockwave behind the two punches knocked Tesoro back. Tesoro crashed into the ground.

Sanji and Yuuto immediately skywalked toward him. Sanji kicked him in the face while Yuuto handcuffed him with seastone.

Tesoro was beaten badly but he didn't lose conscious yet. "You. I'll –"

"Shut it. There's nothing you can do." Yuuto said. "You're in no position to bargain. Besides." Yuuto pointed what happened on his ship. Tesoro noticed that all his crew members were defeated. "We won."

Defiant, Tesoro tried to spit on him which Yuuto dodged. Yuuto glared at him before continuing. "You know. I wouldn't have come for you if you didn't do something that pissed me off."

Angered that this seemed like revenge, Tesoro asked. "What did I do to trash like you? You're a Chaser." He was the one who should have his revenge. Not them.

Yuuto smiled maliciously. "You didn't think it was weird how we found you guys? We used a vivre card." Tesoro realized that they found them so quickly. They had come from a 2 year hiatus. "How we seemed to know a lot about you guys even though it was a secret?" Tesoro looked around and saw how his crew was defeated. In fact, Baccarat was taken out before they even started. "I'll let you think about it later."

The last thing Tesoro remembered was a punch.

Yuuto looked at him. He hoped this would be a fine gift to the navy and the Shichibukai who was coming with them.

* * *

With Nami and Carina

As Nami and Carina continued arguing over who gets the money, Yuuto came by. Carina stopped curious examining him.

"So you're the Scheming Fox." Carina noted. Yuuto said nothing and looked at her wondering what was her game. "I'm a fan. I heard about what you did 4 years ago. Tell me how did you- "

Yuuto sighed before interrupting. He didn't want to hear about his achievements. "Is she any good?" Nami had mentioned her.

Nami sighed and admitted. "Yeah. She's a good thief."

"Here's what's going to happen." Carina raised her eyes. The two pretended as if she wasn't in front of them. "We're going to blow up the ship. We finished planting explosives everywhere. We don't want this around as a reminder for people. " Yuuto lied in front of her.

"But the money." Carina looked with her eyes. She couldn't lie to them about the fireworks that were set to go off in ten minutes if they already planted explosions.

"The money's all been marked by Tesoro." Yuuto lied. "There's no way for us to use it if it belongs exclusively to Tesoro." The bank and stores recognized what is Tesoro's mark. If they used it, it would be obvious that the money was stolen.

Nami nodded as she had already warned Yuuto about Carina. "Sorry." She half lied to Carina.

"Damn it. Here I was hoping to be known as the thief that stole Tesoro's money." Carina pouted. Yuuto sighed knowing that they were lying to her. It wouldn't be good to lie to potential allies. He handed a small notebook to her. "What's this?" She looked through it before a smile appeared on her face.

"Blueprints for a couple places. Banks. Museums. Etc." Yuuto paused a moment. "Consider it as an apology for ruining your plan. There's also a way for us to contact you." Carina looked curious at that. "In case we need your particular skillset."

Carina looked confused about that. "What do you mean?"

"Well, just in case we need your help. And we can't do the job ourselves." Yuuto stated. "We might be preoccupied." Yuuto trusted Nami's opinion.

Carina looked happy and hugged him. He quickly blushed and fought against the hug, hoping that Hancock wouldn't appear out of thin air and misunderstand the situation. He didn't want to deal with that.

Especially since he didn't initiate the hug.

As she let go of the hug, he sighed. "If you want to thank someone, you should thank Nami for the opportunity." He paused. Nami had vouched for her. "Also. I want my wallet back."

"What?" Carina pretended not to know what he was talking about.

Yuuto sighed and showed her the two wallets that he grabbed from her in the meantime. He had a feeling. "I grabbed both of your wallets." Carina looked surprised. She carried two wallets, one as a decoy with some money and another as her real wallet.

Carina sighed and handed back his wallet. "I guess the stories are true." Yuuto returned her two wallets.

Yuuto gave her an icy stare before giving a light smile. "You're not a bad thief yourself. Hurry to the navy ships that should be arriving any moment now." Yuuto left the two alone.

Nami looked at Carina. "Well Carina. Guess this is it. It was fun trying to steal the same thing as you at the same time."

Carina then hugged her, surprising Nami. "You found yourself some good people Nami. You've changed. I'm glad I got to meet your friends. And I might see you again." Nami then reciprocated the hug.

The two broke it off with Carina running off to the port to be evacuated with the marines. "You should also hurry back to your ship."

Nami was about to call Carina back but decided not to. Carina could keep that.

* * *

On the Marine Ship

Carina looked wondering how the Strawhats were getting out of this one. She didn't see any way out for them. They were still inside the ship with a navy blockade. She heard that one of the Shichibukai was coming for them as well.

"Come on." She cried a little worriedly.

Suddenly, she heard an explosion. She saw a large amount of smoke and grew worried.

However, as the smoke cleared, the next sight surprised her.

How is the Gran Tesoro flying in the air?

She opened the small wallet she stole from Nami and saw a note already addressed to her.

She crumpled the paper realizing that she had been tricked. Still, at least Nami gave her a diamond.

* * *

Few moments earlier

On the Gran Tesoro

"Franky, you sure this will work?" Sanji asked as he breathed out some smoke from his cigarette.

Franky laughed. "I'm sure it will work. I came up with the idea because that lightning guy you faced back in Skypiea had some flying ship right?"

"What was long earlobe guy's name anyway?" Luffy asked.

"Enel." Nami and Robin remembered well.

Franky ignored them. "Vegapunk had been working on making ships fly." He showed off a special thruster. He had seen Vegapunk's ideas for ships and modeled it. He made 1000 of them and everyone had place it in certain locations on the ship. "If not, it's too late now."

Luffy then handed Franky the trigger. "Do the honors Franky." Usopp and Chopper nodded respecting that. Although they wanted to push the button, Franky had been working hard for this particular project.

"Super!" Franky said.

"Wait!" Robin cried out. "Luffy, are you sure you want to do this now?" She hadn't seen the Revolutionary ship yet. She didn't want Luffy to miss the chance of meeting Sabo,

Luffy smiled. "There's no better time than now." Robin mentally sighed and mentally apologized to Sabo for not letting him reunite with his brother.

Feeling the stares toward her, Robin needed to say something "I wonder if our flight will be like our time at Skypiea" Robin said out loud. "Otherwise, if it doesn't work, we'll explode to thousands of pieces like the ship would."

"Robin. Don't say that!" Usopp cried out while Chopper hushed her from speaking any more. Zoro only laughed at that; she was only joking.

"Robin sis." Franky gave a stern look toward her. "Me and Usopp double checked this." Franky pointed out. Seeing everyone was ready. "Here goes." he called out as he pushed the trigger.

A loud explosion sounded with smoke coming off. Everyone felt the ship rising up.

"We're flying!" Luffy shouted excitedly.

"At least, it's a lot better than being blasted up." Zoro called out. Some of the crew reminisced their adventure to Skypiea.

Yuuto said. "Now let's melt all the gold we can find." Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Brook went their separate ways to start collecting the gold they found throughout the ship.

"Don't forget all the shops set up. I'm sure there's jewelry and clothes for us to take as well" Nami reminded She rubbed her hands greedily.

"We can sell them as well. Remember not to get too much." Yuuto reminded. "We still need to fit them on the Thousand Sunny." There was plenty of room on the Thousand Sunny. "Franky, how long can the ship stay in the air?"

"About 15 hours?" Franky estimated. "The good news is that I can repower them with coala found in the restaurants." Yuuto shook his head remembering about Franky's fascination with cola.

"15 hours to melt all the gold in this ship." Yuuto sighed; the crew wasn't going to sleep tonight.

"Well, we're not going to do it by ourselves. Remember the robot helpers I made. I made 500 of them during the two year gap. Then the robot helpers I programmed made more of them. Usopp and Chopper are already in control of some of them. They'll help melt gold in certain districts."

"Then while you guys melt the gold, me and Robin will be doing some clothes shopping." Nami looked while Robin nodded. "Franky, do you mind if I could have some helpers as well."

Franky smiled. "Sure." Finally happy that Nami appreciated robots, Franky gave her 50 robots.

"Nami." Yuuto sighed. "Just remember to put the clothes according to their prices in the boxes we made." She might go overboard, but he also knew better than to deny her of clothes.

"I know Yuuto." Nami said with a smile that Yuuto didn't trust. He looked at Robin in keeping her in check. Robin just shrugged. She enjoyed looking at clothes with Nami as well. Yuuto hoped that Hancock didn't like shopping as much as those two.

That left Luffy and Franky with him. However, Franky was going to monitor the ship to make sure it flew smoothly.

"Luffy, want to come with me to get the cash." He smiled remembering his lie to Carina. He bluffed that the Tesoro Money was never marked after all.

"Shishi! Sure."

"I'm driving." Yuuto called out. He smiled ready to give the Elephant Tractor that Franky made a spin.

Luffy smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He got on top of the roof of the Elephant Tractor Franky designed.

As Yuuto began driving with the window down, he called out. "Don't you see how nice a plan is?"

Luffy nodded. "Beat them up and then steal from them." Yuuto sighed.

* * *

18 hours later

What was once the richest country in the World became desolate. Little gold remained on the ship. The Strawhats had collected at least 200 times as much gold as they collected compared to what they collected in Skypiea.

As the ship made its safe descent back to the ocean, there was no trace of gold, money, clothes, and jewelry, in the Gran Tesoro. Franky's small robots had identified any spare metal they could find to recycle. Those parts would be used for Franky's weaponry and any future projects.

"Well! I guess that's it for today." Yuuto called out. He was the one manning the helm because he didn't need as much sleep compared to the others. Everyone else was in their rooms already sleeping.

As he finished anchoring the ship before he retreated to his quarters, his private Den Den mushi rang which caused him to be fully awake. He smiled; only one person had that number.

"Hi Hancock-hime." He fought a yawn that was coming. Talking to her was more important than his sleep. He gave a quick look at the night sky. "Did you catch him?"

* * *

Flashback Day 660 of the Two Year Timeskip

The Tesoro crew were finishing up business in Roshwan Kingdom. They were in need of restocking their alcohol in their city.

Tanaka looked at the crates that had been delivered. "Alright, this is the last shipment we have."

Tesoro shook his hand with his supplier and moved the gold over. He always paid in gold. "Pleasure doing business with you. If you ever have time, let me know when you want to come and take a vacation." Tesoro only smiled fakely knowing that he would be getting his money back if he did so.

As Tesoro was getting ready to board the ship, he noticed one of his crew members missing.

"Where's Dice?"

"He's over there." Baccarat sighed. Dice seemed preoccupied.

"I'll get him." Tesoro stated. How could his employees do something like this? He was supposed to be protecting him.

"Something tells me I should come along as well." Tanaka offered. Baccarat raised her hands up as if she had nothing else to do.

The three walked alongside the docks.

Only to find Dice uncharacteristically flirting with a large orange haired woman. The three facepalmed seeing that.

"I don't know much about man. You're probably the third man I've ever talked to." The large woman said.

"I'm telling you. We could have a fun time together. It would feel so good!"

"This man is weird. Man takes pleasure in pain? That's not fun at all." The large woman had rejected him multiple times as seen by the marks on his face.

"Marigold! Be careful of that man! We don't know who that man is!" Another female voice came out.

"But –" Marigold stated.

"Those two are exceptions." A different voice. Everyone gasped when they saw who said that.

It was the Shichibukai Boa Hancock and her sister Sandersonia. Tesoro licked his lips greedily focused on Hancock; she would make an excellent addition to his collection. She looked much prettier in the flesh.

"Are you the Shichibukai Boa Hancock?" Tesoro asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Who are you?" Hancock answered rudely. She wasn't interested in another man.

"I'm Gild Tesoro, owner of the Gran Tesoro." Hancock looked and remembered the file she had read about him. "I'm sure you heard of me. I own 20% of the world's money." She nodded distracted remembering how Yuuto mentioned they would need money to help Luffy become Pirate King.

In her moment of distraction, he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Marigold and Sandersonia gasped at the action.

Hancock slapped Tesoro's cheek immediately and kicked him away.

"I don't want to be kissed by another man." Hancock stated in a dismayed tone. She didn't want to cheat on Yuuto.

"Don't worry sister. We will vouch for you and say what happened exactly." Her sisters knew that this kiss wasn't serious; especially that Hancock was forced and it was only a hand kiss.

The other Tesoro crew members could only sweat and watch Tesoro's reaction. Normally, he would explode at this. Only to see Tesoro smirk. "Oh. I see. You're a feisty one." He found something he wanted.

Hancock looked angry at that tone. "Sisters, we're leaving this town. If you follow after us, we will destroy you!"

"Right!" They both responded and quickly moved to protect her from Tesoro's crew.

Before Tesoro could say anything, Baccarat yelled. "Wait!" She walked to them. "I'm sorry. I apologize on my boss's behalf. To express our sincere apologies, why don't you come join us at the Gran Tesoro right now. We promise it will be fun." She motioned them to keep quiet. She could always steal luck from anyone and they could stay there.

Hancock sighed a little angrily. "We are leaving this town and going straight to home. I miss home so much." The sisters nodded realizing that it was really code that she was really missing Yuuto. They nodded not wanting to interfere with it.

"You don't understand we have gold! Entertainment! Malls!" Tesoro added.

"Not to mention the casinos!" Tanaka offered up. Dice nodded. That's where they both worked.

"I'll be happy to show you the sights. The best malls with all the best clothes, purses, shoes, watches, accessories, and jewelry. You name it. I'm sure you can get it for free." Baccarat pointed out.

Hancock was not deterred. "I'd rather go home." She needed to get away from them and see Yuuto.

Baccarat facepalmed. She was not a normal girl; that's for sure. "Well, if you ever changer your mind. Here's a vivre card." She handed it out. Marigold took it.

On the bridge, Hancock sighed. She didn't know how to explain to Yuuto about what just happened.

End Flashback

* * *

Yuuto grinned cheekily at his chance for vengeance. Tesoro deserved to pay for how uncomfortable he made Hancock. Not to mention for kissing Hancock's hand.

The fact that he had 20% of the world's money was just a very nice bonus.

Yuuto was lucky that Marigold had been fighting with Dice and that Dice spilled the beans about their strategy of using Baccarat's luck powers.

It was easy to piece the rest of a plan after the files Hancock found on them.

"Yuuto-kun!" Hancock cried out through the mushi. "I was hoping to see you." She went to the coordinates the World Government gave her. "I missed you so much. I found a fox and made it wear one of the fox masks we made together."

Yuuto could only smile at that. "Really." He could imagine her nod while reminiscing how Hancock would normally kick small animals for being in its path. "I know. I miss you too." Yuuto wished to see her but the longer they stayed the more likely the marines were going to attack. "I tried waiting." He was thankful that Robin suggested to stay a little longer.

"The World Government was really surprised what I tipped them off. Gild Tesoro and his crew are arrested. What are you going to do with all that money?"

Yuuto laughed. "You already know why we need the money." He looked upward wondering what her facial expression was right now. "It's not going to be easy to fund or feed Luffy's Pirate King campaign." Especially with the amount of meat he could consume.

Yuuto remained adamant before Luffy, Zoro (who wanted to spend some money on booze), and Nami about what to spend the money on. Usopp and Franky were the ones receiving the most money to fund whatever they were going to make to help.

"So…" Yuuto could imagine Hancock playing with her hair as she was talking. "After this. You're going straight for Big Mom now." Hancock asked.

"Yeah. Jimbei gave us important information about where to find a record of her businesses." He heard a sigh on the other end.

"I wish I could go chase after you, but I have to be at Heat Island." Yuuto was sure he wasn't the only one who rolled his eyes after that. "Can you walk me through your plan?" Hancock was only curious.

Yuuto shrugged; he didn't know. "Usopp says he has it planned out on how to get it."

A pause on the other end. "Isn't that the extreme storyteller you told me about? Doesn't he gets scared easily?" Yuuto laughed remembering the description he gave about Usopp to her.

He couldn't exactly say that his friend was a liar. That would make a bad first impression when Hancock met him.

Still, now that Hancock mentioned it, he wasn't sure if he could trust Usopp.

"Yeah. I figured he could use his storytelling ability to plan." Yuuto wasn't sure if he said that to convince her or himself. He did not think this through. Maybe Robin should have been doing this because of her former experience.

"Just be careful love." Yuuto blushed hearing that and took something he found while plundering Gild Tesoro.

"I will. My crew's talented." Usopp would show up when it mattered he reasoned quietly. After some silence, Yuuto continued while playing with the object, "You should get some rest. You sound tired Hancock-hime." He fiddled with the object.

Imagining the object on Hancock. The ring wouldn't fit her.

"Yeah. It's been a long day. Now that I'm starting to take my Shichibukai duties more seriously." Yuuto pictured her rolling her eyes at that. "Just be careful."

Yuuto nodded. He placed the ring away, remembering to sell it later when they reached the next island. "Say. I forgot to ask. What did you say to the Marines that made them ok with you chasing after us?"

He could hear her grin albeit a little embarrassingly. "Luffy stole something important from me. The marines didn't ask after that." Yuuto nodded understanding how frightening she could give off.

"I see." He didn't need to ask what or who it was. He was sure of the answer. If they were in person, he would have teased her just to see her blush. "Well. Get some rest." She sounded tired during their conversation. "Sweet dreams Hancock-hime. The moon is beautiful tonight." Yuuto smiled at the night. He would have to find a better ring.

"Yes. The moon is beautiful tonight. Good night Yuuto-kun." [1]

* * *

[1] The moon is beautiful tonight is Yuuto's and Hancock's way of saying "I love you" back from chapter 36/37.

See if you saw the easter eggs I made in reference to chapter 944. Something I'm going to do for fun now is whenever I finish a chapter, I'm going to try and incorporate some scenes/ideas/quotes from the most recent chapter. There are 3 intentional ones.

The next arc I have for the Strawhats is going to involve them weakening the Yonko's power. This can range from hurting a Yonko's economics, businesses, weapons, territory, etc. We're starting off with Big Mom. I have no idea how many chapters I will actually write about this before I fully decide it's time to go to Punk Hazard.

Keep in mind, the point of this arc is for Luffy to work his way up to become Pirate King. He's going to need allies and receive recognition.

In this chapter, the Strawhats gained a lot of money (what Usopp and Franky need is going to be expensive and Nami's going to "negotiate" the price you're going to see that scene in a much later chapter) and Carina (a thief ally in case I do write out what I have foreshadowed for her; I'm not liking my idea so far). They already have the Kuja Pirates as secret allies feeding them intel from the marines.

As this is going on, there will be some Strawhat bonding moments in between.

Feel free to leave any reviews for constructive feedback or suggestions.

Until next time!


	42. Chapter 42 Target Big Mom's Business

Disclaimer: No. I do not own One Piece or chapter 948.

Thanks for the follows, favs, and views!

I know it's been a month since I updated, but I never stopped thinking about this.

Here comes the chapter, which is more of a fun/light hearted chapter. This chapter sets up for characters and future plot points even though it's not too serious.

However, most importantly, it was to show the friendship between the Strawhats. My next chapter will be more serious.

Weakening Big Mom's Businesses

* * *

Flashback Back at Fishman Island

"Usopp. I want you to be involved in the planning for the one after this Gran Tesoro." Yuuto told Usopp.

Usopp stayed quiet. He then made a cocky grin. "I see Yuuto. You need the master planner Usopp. Well don't worry my plans never failed in all of - "

Yuuto looked at him seriously, and that caused Usopp to quiet down. "Usopp, don't subconsciously act like the person you were two years ago." Usopp nodded at that. Yuuto sighed not wanting to sound too strict with him. Usopp needed some mental toughness as well. "Still, I think you could make good plans." Usopp blushed at that. "Your lying/ story telling ability might help."

Usopp looked up curious as to what Yuuto meant.

"I'm sure with your imagination you could come up with ideas that I wouldn't think of." Yuuto elaborated. Usopp understood how he could contribute. "Just don't be ridiculous or go too overboard." Yuuto warned. "Be reasonable."

Usopp nodded. "Don' worry. I'll come up with a reasonable plan. You can count on me! I am the most reasonable man on this crew." Usopp then went away before Yuuto could shake off his feeling.

* * *

Current Time

"You want us to what?" Zoro looked a little angry at the suggestion. Sanji nodded actually agreeing with him. That would be disgraceful as men.

"I don't think we can pull that off." Nami nervously laughed. It was too embarrassing for her.

Franky stood perplexed; he wasn't sure if he could do that. Even he had reservations about this, and he was the flamboyant one.

Chopper was shaking his head not wanting to do what was asked of him. "My guard point is not meant to be some beach ball!" Chopper looked enraged at what was offered.

"Actually, disco ball." Usopp added.

Chopper yelled out how preposterous that was. "How could I have lights come out of my fur?"

As if to answer the question, Usopp pulled out the lights he made that could stick to Chopper's fur.

Chopper started steaming off while the others shook their heads.

The only ones ok with the plan so far were Luffy and Brook. Yuuto and Robin were a little skeptical but at least considered it. Luffy thought the idea was fun while Brook smiled at the plan because this was his specialty.

Jimbei told Yuuto that Big Mom had a bookkeeper who kept all the financial records who would be on this island. If the Strawhats grabbed those files, they could use those files to see what she was spending, where most of her money came from, and any deals.

Now, the bookkeeper, Vector, had a love for music and was visiting Swift Island known for its music festival.

Usopp's idea was that they could all masquerade as new music group to distract him. Usopp had already explained that Yuuto could go steal the files at wherever he was staying at while all the other Strawhats were performing in the music festival.

Well, to be exact. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Franky, and Brook were going to be the main performers. Usopp and Robin were going to be the Strawhats' fashion designers /managers while Chopper in guard point was going to be their disco ball.

"Come on guys, me and Robin have been doing your hair for so long." Usopp felt the need to explain himself. "We can make you look like music stars." Usopp was trying to get Robin on his side. Robin chuckled actually liking that idea. She liked doing Nami's hair.

Plus, she didn't have to do anything that would be embarrassing as a human being.

"There's no way I'm dressing or dancing like those pop idols." Zoro pointed out. Usopp had shown what dance moves they were supposed to do. Zoro was not dabbing. That was embarrassing.

Sanji began to consider it more because maybe he could be more popular with the ladies. He could see if he could persuade Usopp if he could rip his shirt for no valid reason during their performance. That could definitely attract the ladies.

"We'd stand out." Nami pointed out. "Remember we have bounties." Sure, she wanted to be famous and dress in cute outfits. She then remembered something about pop idols. "Unless… how much money would we make if we're performing?" She was more willing now remembered how successful Brook was.

"Actually, we had to pay a fee to perform in the music festival." Usopp weakly added.

Nami shook her head angrily. "That's coming from your share from the money we got from Tesoro. I'm not doing it." That was final. If they were performing, they should be paid, not the other way around.

"But I already made digital posters of us." Zoro and Yuuto glared at Usopp, hearing that. "In disguises." Usopp added quickly. "I already set up a website about our group."

Yuuto sighed. This was what he meant by going overboard. Still this did provide a way to make sure Vector was away. "Alright Usopp." He didn't want to crush Usopp's confidence before the others voiced they weren't doing it. "I have to admit. The idea's not bad. I'm going to need tweak it a little."

The other Strawhats looked happy hearing that knowing that Yuuto was going to tweak it a lot. Usopp and Brook was curious what he meant by tweaking.

"Let's just have a solo act with Brook." Yuuto would mention to Usopp that in the future the other members should be working on something. It was a waste of manpower to have everyone do the same task. "It would take too much time for all of us to be properly trained. Especially me apparently." Every Straw Hat laughed at that, to which he pouted. Just because he sucked at singing didn't mean he enjoyed singing karaoke.

"That's why you were the one stealing the files." Usopp added. He took account of Yuuto's lack of singing ability.

"That's besides the point." Yuuto didn't want to be teased now. "Franky do you think you can make a body suit for Brook, so he doesn't stand out so much."

"Yuuto-san. I don't mind-" Brook wasn't ashamed of showing his bones.

"Disguise Brook. We may need to do this again in the future." Brook nodded understanding. He wondered how it would feel to have fake flesh. Franky nodded.

"Usopp. You can be the manager/hair stylist because it was your idea." Yuuto paused. "What's our target's favorite type of music? Make sure your ads are like that already. Keep it reasonable." Yuuto emphasized. "Believable biographies for Brook " Nothing too crazy or extraordinary about his background.

Usopp smiled. Franky had been teaching him how to use a computer. "He actually likes pop music." Brook smiled hearing that; that was easy to play. Wait.

"Franky, there's an electric guitar piece I have in mind if you want to play. We could have a nice duet." Brook offered. If there was another musician he trusted on the ship, it would be Franky. No one else seemed that they could play a musical instrument with the limited amount of time they had.

Franky smiled at the idea; he really liked playing music with Brook. Yuuto paused but thought about. It could work. "Actually I forgot about that. Franky can help fight with you guys in case you guys get recognized." "And no robot performers Franky. That could be a giveaway for us." Franky nodded. "I think two more should be with you guys just in case just to keep an eye out. Any other volunteers?"

Luffy raised his hand wanting to hear his musician perform; he was also feeling bored. In response, Nami thought about raising her hand but decided not to. She thought it would be too obvious that she wanted to spend time with Luffy.

No one else volunteered. Yuuto sighed knowing that he wasn't supposed to interfere so he couldn't pick Nami directly. "Ok. Sanji. Why don't you go blend with the audience when Brook is performing?"

Sanji was about to decline but then thought about what Yuuto said and smiled at the implication. Plenty of women would be dancing around him. "Ok." He made sure his smile didn't look too perverted.

"You'll both get free tickets to see Brook. Don't worry." Usopp could hook him up. "We'll also ask them to keep their tickets as well. We'll do a fake ticket prize to hang out with Brook after the show." He smiled excitedly. "It'll be rigged of course. Make sure you keep your tickets."

That was going overboard again Yuuto noted. But it could work in their favor. If it was rigged so that all of them were together, it would be easy for them to leave together.

"When does the concert start again?" Zoro asked.

"In two days at 1 PM." Usopp continued. He looked at Yuuto if there was something he needed to add.

After some consideration, Yuuto began. "Alright. Nami and Robin. Be familiar with the hotel Vector's staying at. Know the security as well. See if you could pass off as maids there. Instead of stealing the files, take a picture of the files. Robin, do you have anything to add we may be missing for this?" Yuuto was seeing if he missed anything.

The former Baroque Works vice president shook her head. They covered all the angles that she could think of. However, there was something else that she was distracted about.

Nami knew that she was about to go to work. When she realized Robin wasn't by her side, Nami looked back and asked. "Robin?" She thought it was time for them to go scout the place.

Everyone looked at Robin, who was still sitting down. She didn't want to miss this opportunity she had even though it might hinder their plans. "I heard there are some ancient ruins on this island. I was wondering if I could-" Luffy immediately gave her the ok remembering her dream. Yuuto looked at Nami who nodded signaling that she could do this alone.

Chopper pointed out. "Oh I also heard there are some herbs that I don't have growing here. Can I come with you also?" Robin nodded not seeing the harm in it.

"I want to go too!" Luffy cried out.

"No Luffy. You're staying here." Yuuto gave him a stare saying he couldn't go.

"If there's any gold you find, remember to bring it here." Nami called out before she left.

"Those who aren't doing anything right now." Yuuto looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Yuuto pointed over to the tons of gold and other luxuries they stole from Gran Tesoro. "We need to sell some of these things here." They sighed and each took a pile but only Luffy stayed behind with Yuuto.

"I don't get why we have to do this long process." Luffy complained. "Wouldn't it be better to just beat Big Mom right now?"

"Luffy, don't underestimate the Yonko." Yuuto gravely reminded him. "Doing that almost got us all killed." Seeing Luffy's silence. Yuuto added. "Remember that we want to ruin a Yonko's business, territory, and name. Think of us doing this as warmup." Luffy nodded as if he understood.

Yuuto sighed. He had explained that bit at least 10 times but Luffy seemed to forget. Everyone else understood the idea.

As Luffy left, Yuuto cried out. "Please wear some disguises!" He was worried about Luffy and Zoro especially. He then chased after them with his own pile of goods to sell.

* * *

The Ruins

"Watch your step Chopper." Robin called out a little worriedly to the youngest Strawhat.

"I know Robin." He responded as he climbed up the ruins. As he got up, he pointed to the wall. "What is this about?" He had already collected the herbs he didn't have and was now helping Robin investigate the ruins.

Robin glanced at the painting a crude drawing of a man that seemed to be fighting darkness. "It seems like a story of a man losing to a malevolent spirit. Perhaps the spirit will try to possess him to kill his family." She expanded while looking for more clues to the story.

Chopper was creeped out hearing that.

Taking his silence as confusion, Robin elaborated. "Lots of ancient civilizations have similar stories around this ideal: man vs darkness. The man could be fighting to provide light for his people. He could be fighting against the darkness in himself. I haven't identified which civilization these ruins belong to." She looked around to see for any clue.

"Well, I hope we find a Poneglyph here. You'll be one step closer to your dream!"

Robin smiled. "Well I hope so. Likewise, who knows maybe one of the herbs we found might help your dream as well Chopper-kun."

Excited at that encouragement, Chopper wanted to help her dream as well. "Is there anything you have in mind that I should look for?" Chopper had never seen a Poneglyph.

Robin laughed. "A Poneglyph is a blue or black indestructible stele that contains ancient words that no one can read. You'll know for sure what it is when you see it." All the ones she had seen were blue or black and she didn't know what color the Road Poneglyph was.

Chopper nodded. He then pointed to a box. "Kind of like that shape right?" Robin nodded. "It has some words that I can't read." He then ran closer curious about it. Maybe if he inspected it, it would be that Poneglyph Robin was looking for.

Robin looked at it and saw how familiar it looked. "Wait Chopper!" That stopped Chopper from rushing in. She figured out which civilization was involved this belonged to. The ancient civilization Ixa-Taka. "Be careful. That box may have some magic involved that might awaken Crusher."

Now that he thought about it, Chopper realized that Crusher became more awake. Chopper let out. "I think I know what you mean." Chopper went back to Robin's side. "As I went closer, Crusher's voice got louder."

Robin nodded and looked at the story again. "This civilization had a famous story of magic awakening a man's other personality. This civilization served as an inspiration for Stevenson to come up with his story about Jekyll and Hyde."

Chopper nodded having read the story with Robin before. The first time reading it made it hard for him to sleep; he was creeped out with the other personality. "But Crusher's not an evil personality." He defended.

Robin looked at him. "I know. I haven't met really him yet."

Chopper looked a little nervous and felt this was a good time to ask. "Do you want to meet him now?" Chopper was still in control and saw that Robin nodded. "I'll be awake but the longer I give control to Crusher, the more tired I become. I won't be able to keep advising him after forty minutes." Chopper warned her.

"I'm sure I can handle him by myself."

Chopper nodded and then willingly gave Crusher some control.

After a couple seconds, Robin wondered if there were any physical differences between the two. There wasn't any that she noticed. **"Hi."** Crusher sounded as if he snarled at her. His voice was noticeably deeper. What he said sounded like a menacing snarl to the normal person.

Still, Robin wasn't your normal person. It was a cute snarl to her. "Hi. I'm Nico Robin. Nice to meet you Crusher." She bended down and held her hand out to his level. She looked at Crusher and noticed that Crusher's eyes turned slightly grayish and were slightly smaller than Chopper's normal eyes.

Crusher smiled and grabbed her hand. **"Would you like to play with me?"**

It was a very strong grip that a normal person would have flinched, but Robin didn't flinch easily. "Sure I have a game in mind! Want to play?" She would correct his manners when Crusher was more comfortable with her.

Crusher nodded excited to have someone to play with. He began jumping up and down enthusiastically. **"Sure what game."** Crusher said with his eyes wide open.

Laughing at how much he was jumping, Robin continued. "We're going to play adventurer. We're looking for a –" Robin looked around for ideas of what to look for. "A picture similar to that" She pointed. "After that I will tell you a story about the picture." She was sure she could make a story for him. It would be based off the history if she was correct.

 **"Ok! Am I allowed to smash things?"** Crusher looked happy at the idea but remembered what Chopper told him. Chopper was inwardly shaking his head.

Robin openly sighed at that. History needed to be preserved. Still, she had to be patient with him; Crusher didn't know any better. She gave him a strict look. "You are not allowed to smash things." Chopper had warned her about Crusher's destructive personality before. "If you smash anything, I will stop playing with you."

Crusher started sweating. **"Got it. No smashing. Crusher won't smash."** He then ran off reminding himself that. He wanted to play as long as possible. Robin giggled at how cute Crusher was acting.

* * *

That evening

Robin walked back to the Thousand Sunny with her clone carrying Chopper. Chopper/Crusher had fallen asleep while Robin looked a little worn down and a little disheveled.

On the Sunny, Sanji was on watch duty and ran down excited to see two Robins. "Robin-chan! Are you ok?" He had seen a lot of dirt on the one not carrying Chopper. "What happened? Is Chopper ok?" Sanji took a closer look. "Did he lose control and hurt you in any way? Are you ok?" Sanji then inspected her closer; noticing the dirt on her clothes. "I'll never forgive our emergency food supply if he hurt you."

Both Robins gave a harsh look at the threat Sanji slightly gave. Chopper wouldn't do that intentionally. "Crusher played a little rough but I had it under control." Before Sani could ask more questions, she continued. "Nothing bad happened." True, she had to calm Crusher down a little bit before he destroyed a pillar, but it was manageable. It seemed that the longer Crusher stayed out there he would lose his some of his rationality.

Looking at both Robins in the eye to see if she was lying to her, Sanji stopped giving an inspection. As soon as he turned away to go back to watch duty, he realized a slight bump on both of their heads. Immediately worried that bruise would tarnish Robin's beauty, Sanji called out. "How did you get that bruise?"

Robin sighed. "It's nothing really."

Still, Sanji was really protective. "How did you-"

"Oi cook. Drop it."

Zoro had just come out. He had just finished sparring with Yuuto and came out for a breath of fresh air. He looked between Sanji and Robin. "If Robin says nothing happened, then nothing happened."

Angry hearing that from Zoro again, Sanji yelled. "When you say it, that means something did happen!" He remembered the last time Zoro said that at Thriller Bark.

"Do you think Chopper would intentionally hurt Robin?" Zoro fired back. Robin agreed with that statement.

"No. But we don't know –"

Interrupting both of them, Robin let out. "I got it from pushing Crusher out of the way. A piece of rubble was falling on him and it hit my head instead." The clone Robin nodded as if to confirm the story.

"Then in that case, let me fetch you some ice my lady." Sanji cried out. He then threatened to Zoro. "You better not do something with Robin or both Robins, Marimo head." He quickly dashed into the kitchen before the bruise was permanent and blemished Robin's beauty.

Both Robin shook their head at that knowing Zoro wasn't like that and Zoro growled at that. "I'm not like you, you perverted idiot." It was too late for Sanji was already long gone. Zoro looked at the clone Robin seeing her carry Chopper on her back. "Let me carry him." Clone Robin nodded trusting him.

"Got him?" The clone asked when she didn't feel the weight on her back anymore.

Zoro nodded and held him and adjusted his hold on Chopper as if he was carrying a baby. "Yeah I got him." The clone then dispersed. "I'll carry him to our room." Zoro then gave a slight nod to Robin who understood that he would check up on her later.

As Zoro walked away, Robin couldn't help but mentally replay what had transpired. It was interesting to see how she had two different views that showed the same fatherly side to Zoro.

She chuckled remembering back at Water Seven watching over those three kids.

"Robin-chan! Here's the ice!" Sanji ran up to her carrying a bag of ice. "Allow me to ice it for you."

"I can do it myself." She refused not wanting to trouble him. He was on watch duty. Besides, she could always make a hand to ice herself. "Where is everyone else?" The Sunny was too quiet.

"Nami-san's already asleep." Sanji thought about it some more. "Usopp, Franky, and Brook are still working on their project. Nami-san's not going to be happy when she finds out how much it costs." Robin shrugged. They were rich enough now. "Luffy's playing with the robot helpers that Franky made. And last I checked, Yuuto was sparring with Zoro earlier." He shrugged not caring what he was doing now.

Robin nodded. That meant if Yuuto was done sparring, he would take a bath or go somewhere private to talk to Hancock.

"I'm going to go to the library then. Write notes about what I found and then go to sleep." She would ask Nami about the hotel tomorrow. "Good-night Sanji-kun."

"Good night Robin chan!"

As Robin made her way to the library, she heard a door open from the one of men's quarters where Chopper was staying in.

"Robin!" She looked behind and saw Zoro again. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Zoro asked first not really sure what they were called again.

"No I didn't." She was a little disappointed about not reaching her dream closer and uncovering the True History.

"I see. Sorry that it may have seemed like a waste." Zoro could understand the feeling.

She looked curious at him. "Don't be. The day wasn't a waste. I got to know Crusher a little bit."

Interested at Chopper's other side, Zoro continued. "What's he like?" He hadn't met him yet.

"He's harmless really. He doesn't really know how to act toward people. So he's rough." Robin elaborated. Seeing Zoro's face told her that he was already mentally taking notes about Crusher. She hid the smile forming on her face.

It was cute to know that Pirate Hunter had such a soft side.

"That's good." She looked up. Did she just say that out loud? Before she could even be embarrassed a little or clarify what she meant, he continued "It seems like Crusher's like what I imagine Chopper would be like without parenting."

She calmed down realizing that he didn't hear her thoughts. "Yeah. They're the same. He was interested about the history I explained to him." Zoro looked confused before Robin continued. "I made it part of the game that we were playing with."

Zoro grinned. "Maybe I'll spar with him as part of a game we can play together."

Robin gave him a disapproving look. "Mr. Kenshi-san" She warned.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding." That tone she gave him showed that was going too far especially the fact that she called him by his nickname. He knew how much she cared about Chopper. "I know better than to piss off an angry mother."

"I thought fathers would be more caring." Zoro didn't deny what she implied, admitting that he cared about Chopper like a father would sometimes. The only one who openly cared about Chopper more than him was the woman in front of him.

"You think Crusher would like some training?" Zoro offered the idea. Robin sighed knowing that the lives they led were dangerous enough to need some training; she couldn't argue that. "You can watch and make sure I don't break him." He knew of his extreme training methods.

That reminded Robin. "Right. I also need help with armament Haki." She was stuck with that and only had observation Haki down. "Maybe you could train both of us?" She asked hopefully.

Zoro had forgotten that. "How about we start tomorrow?" It was getting late and he needed to be mentally prepare himself. The idea of training a woman felt a little awkward to him right now.

Seeing his flushed face, Robin took the opportunity to tease him a bit. "Don't be distracted by me and my body when we start training."

As she closed the door to the library, she could only hear him shout angrily in embarrassment.

"I'm only joking Kenshi-san." She called out while giggling to herself. He was so fun to tease.

"It's not funny! I'm nothing like that idiot." She smiled agreeing with that. Still, it was something to look forward.

"Goodnight Zoro." She called out. She smiled when she heard a muffled good night as well.

* * *

Next Day

On his way back to the Thousand Sunny, Chopper, in Walk Point, happily carried the two bags of money he obtained from selling the clothes they got from Gran Tesoro. This was his private share of the money. Nami never gave him this much before.

Before he could contemplate more about Nami's newfound generosity, he sniffed the air and smelled a lot of blood. Remembering his oath to help any patient, he quickly ran toward the scent and found a group surrounding him. The group surrounding him wore cloaks. The uniform looked familiar.

"Don't worry High Priest. You'll be fine. We'll find a doctor soon." One man said. He looked to the group and pointed. "One of you go look for one."

A loud cough. "That's assuming the doctor won't report me to the government." A gruff voice sounded.

Chopper called out. "Out of my way. I'm a doctor." The group made clear and Chopper saw a scary looking and large wounded man on the ground.

Still, Chopper was undeterred. He came over.

"We don't know if we can trust you."

"Look guys this tanuki has money. We can rob him as well." Chopper looked ready to fight.

One pirate shouted as if to defend him. "Fallen Monk Pirates." He said it with some seniority. "He was about to help us. Captain wouldn't want us to hurt someone who was helping us."

"We don't know if he was working with the marines." A reasonable member called out.

Chopper growled. He was a pirate as well. "I'm Tony Tony Chopper of the Strawhat Pirates. Doctor."

A couple gasps. The pirates let go of him. The man on the ground chuckled and smiled. "I never formally met all the Straw Hat Pirates two years ago. I only saw your first mate." Chopper looked curiously at the man. "I'm Urouge. The Mad Monk."

Not recognizing the name, Chopper stood confused for a moment before starting his checkup.

With the awkward silence, Urouge decided to break the ice. "You know. I was there at Sabaody Island as well." Chopper stayed quiet. That was a painful memory. Urouge looked at the doctor carefully. "Hm. So you're the one with the 50 beri bounty."

Chopper focused on repatching the wound and didn't reply. "Where did you get this wound?" This wound was very serious.

Urouge turned aside and gave the truth. "I fought one of Big Mom Pirates Sweet Commanders. Snack. Then his brother Cracker came."

Chopper started sweating recognizing the name and the strength Yuuto warned them. He shook his head. Yuuto knew what he was doing. The plan was to weaken her economically and her other influences as well. "You should leave this island immediately. Someone on this island works closely with Big Mom."

Another pirate spoke up. "But we can't keep running. His injury's going to get worse."

Chopper injected Urouge with a special medicine he had on hand. "I can tell." The wound was slowly becoming infected. "I just gave you some antibiotic and some painkillers I had on hand. It should fight off the infection. You're free to travel. Make sure you sleep 10 hours a day for the next three days."

Urouge sat up and moved around as if testing his body. "Hm. You're a good doctor." Chopper fought the need to squirm at his praise; he was still in a tense environment. "Tell me" Urouge looked at Chopper closely. "What did your crew do during the last two years?"

Chopper answered. "We trained." Yuuto warned him about not saying too much in front of strangers. Who was to say they could trust a rival?

"That's a smart idea." Urouge nodded. The battles they faced in the New World were tough. "What brings you to this island?"

Chopper inwardly debated and decided to tell him the truth. Urouge just got away from Big Mom. "We're stealing something from Big Mom." Urouge smiled at that and then tried to punch Chopper.

Chopper dodged and looked angry. "I just treated you!" Maybe he shouldn't have trusted him.

The Fallen Monk Pirates were a little surprised about the captain's behavior. Captain didn't attack anyone with no valid reason.

"Hm. It says a lot about his captain if he's got such a strong crew." Urouge spoke out loud. A strong first mate. The rumored Chaser. A doctor that could dodge his punch even if he held back. The fact that his doctor was only worth 50 berris could show how scary the entire crew was.

Urouge shook his head; the marines must have been underestimating the Straw Hat Crew. "Let's give him a vivre card and our number." He told his comrades. He smiled at the prospect of having a strong ally. "We can talk more next time. We're going to be fighting Big Mom as well." It wasn't like they had a choice now that they beat one of her commanders. Pretty soon, Big Mom was going to come after them as well.

His first mate gave Chopper a vivre card. Chopper was surprised about this. Yuuto mentioned they needed strong allies in the future.

Urouge responded. "I owe you one." His crew bowed to Chopper before that.

Chopper then waved his arms around. "That doesn't make me happy you idiots." All the Fallen Monks sweat dropped not seeing this. Seeing him dance for a bit, they got on their ship and silently left.

Too absorbed in his dance, Chopper opened his eyes and saw they were on the ship. He waved bye which was reciprocated by the crew. He couldn't wait to tell the crew about this.

* * *

That night

"Good job!"

"That's amazing!"

Everyone was excited hearing the news. Chopper had received lots of praise and head pats from almost everyone.

"That's our Super doctor!" Chopper blushed at that praise.

"Sweet! We made a new friend!" Luffy smiled.

Yuuto warned a little bit. "I'm just going to say we might have different ideas about this alliance but at least it's a start. But still." He then lifted up Chopper and tossed him in the air happily. "This is great work." Especially if Urouge took down Snack. Yuuto would have to call Jinbei and check if he did.

"With a strong ally with one of the so called Worst Generation, we got more of a chance against Big Mom now." Sanji added.

Maybe, it was good that they were targeting Big Mom first Yuuto thought.

Robin continued. "We have an idea where those files are." She and Nami had found the room Vector was staying in.

Nami nodded. "What are we doing with those files?" She looked curious at the prospect of more money. Maybe they were going to steal more money. Even if they were possibly the richest crew, you could never have too much money. Nami thought out.

Usopp and Franky smiled at the possibilities. Yuuto mentioned his ideas to them. It was dangerous and exciting. Luffy only smiled being promised an adventure with whatever they were going to do.

"Then we're all set." Yuuto added as if he ignored her. "After the concert and we get those files, we immediately leave to the next island."

Zoro looked eager hearing that. He was promised to be more involved wherever they go next. Zoro's role for this particular island was to help the crew get ready to leave. He explored the island (and got lost). "I'll be in the dojo then." He would be happy to get off this boring and confusing island.

"Can I come too?" Chopper asked. He was reminding Zoro about his promise.

"Right. Of course." Zoro hadn't forgotten; they just never had the opportunity to do so.

Hearing this part, Robin let out. "I'll be there." She was just going to check up on them and make sure Chopper was ok. She had already tried unlocking Armament Haki with Zoro already.

"Alright. Well should be set for tomorrow then." Usopp called out. "Franky and Brook are ready." Franky gave a thumbs up while Brook brushed his hair. "The tickets are ready. Luffy and Sanji have to keep their tickets." The two smiled at that looking forward to tomorrow. "Seems like everything is in place for Nami and Robin to copy the files." Nami and Robin knew how easy their job was going to be.

* * *

The next day

The plan went well for the most part. Nami and Robin were able to take pictures of all financial documents at Vector's hotel room. They read where Big Mom made the most revenue from and what she bought the most.

Other than the fact that she spent 40% of her total money on sweets alone, she had plenty of business deals connected with the Underworld primarily focused on smuggling goods. She didn't spend a lot on weapons other than her navy force.

As Nami and Robin hurried back, they noticed that the rest of the crew except Zoro, Yuuto, and Chopper were running past them.

Behind them were marines.

Nami and Robin started running after them. Before they could ask what went wrong, they heard "Damn it Usopp!" Sanji shouted. "This is all your fault."

"How was I supposed to know that marines would be looking into the website I set up?"

Franky pointed out. "You lied when you said that you disguised us on that website."

"We wouldn't be in this problem if Luffy and Sanji kept their tickets! The fans who won the random prize ended up being marines." Usopp tried to defend himself. When he announced the tickets, two other people that they did not expect came to claim their reward. Luffy accidentally dropped it, and someone else picked it up. Sanji was blushing because he gave it to a woman forgetting what was special about the ticket

Brook sighed. "That doesn't matter. The marines were already waiting outside after my performance finished! Our cover was already blown before the concert even started."

Franky blew fire behind him to try and stop the marines.

Nami yelled. "Usopp. I'm taking a million berris from your share." Usopp cried at that. His share was already going toward funding the weapons.

"Shishishi!"

"This isn't funny Luffy!"

Robin commented. "Actually it kind of is." If she was really in charge, they wouldn't have gotten caught, but still this was fun.

As they reached the Thousand Sunny, Yuuto, who had seen their tired conditions and had sensed the marines coming, asked. "Who messed up?" Everyone pointed at Usopp. Yuuto sighed and massaged his eyebrows. "Was it the website?" Why did he have this feeling?

Usopp meekly nodded. He was too excited that he didn't think about giving them disguises on the website. "We got the files though right?" Zoro reminded them what was important.

Franky then yelled. "We need to set up a Coup de Burst!" Franky didn't want to fight against the Navy. Luckily, Zoro, Yuuto, and Chopper had already gotten ready for a quick getaway.

As the ship flew in the air, "The marines don't know right! Vector doesn't know what we did right! Most importantly, Big Mom didn't find out!" Yuuto shouted.

"That's Luffy's fault! It's possible they know." Usopp screamed.

Zoro, Nami, Yuuto, Chopper, and Robin didn't know exactly what happened. They looked at Usopp who thought he was defending himself. It was only worse when they saw Sanji, Franky, and Brook slowly nod at that.

"Stupid cook!" Zoro shouted. "You were supposed to be keeping a close eye on Luffy and making sure he didn't say anything."

Sanji blushed being distracted by the dancing women around him earlier. He separated himself from Luffy. "I know." He was a little embarrassed. "But-…" The death glares from Zoro and Nami were both annoying and disappointing at the same time.

"Who knows exactly!" Yuuto demanded.

"Everyone at the music festival!" Franky shouted out as the boat finally landed 5 kilometers on the sea and bounced like a rock skipping on water.

"I suppose it was also my fault." Brook started sobbing. "Before we started running away, I threw the microphone next to me, and it landed close to Luffy."

Yuuto did what he normally did in these situations. He fell to the ground and twitched already expecting what was going to happen next. He was too young (and not supposed) to start having blood pressure problems because of Luffy.

Luffy poked Yuuto on the ground to see if he was normal. "I picked it up and just had to say that I was going to be Pirate King."

"That's it?" Yuuto asked disbelievingly. His blood pressure was slowly stabilizing. That wasn't so bad. Luffy could have shouted what they were doing.

Nami sighed. "Let me guess. He told everyone his name as well." She knew him well.

"Of course!" Luffy slammed his fist on his hand. Usopp, Sanji, Franky, and Brook nodded to confirm that.

Chopper added hopefully. "That's not too bad right. We also got an ally to help us now." He pointed out his accomplishment to lighten the mood.

"Is there any chance they think it was someone who was drunk?" Yuuto stated in a deadpan voice.

Franky continued. "Everyone at the concert but not the marines." Usopp and Sanji nodded at that. Zoro and Brook were reading the pictures that Robin and Nami took.

Yuuto sighed. "So the marines know for sure now." If they didn't already. He looked at Nami and Robin. "I'm going to assume no problems on your end."

Robin shook her head. She took a picture of the place as soon as she entered it. Everything was placed exactly where it was when she entered. "There's no proof that we entered and we left the place as clean as it was." It was something she did when she spied on rival crime organizations.

Nami nodded. "I didn't want any Yonko to start attacking us. I did my part. Robin double checked me."

Everyone except Luffy and Zoro sighed in relief hearing that. The other two frowned wanting some action.

Seeing the quiet mood, Brook wanted to lift up their spirits. "I think the guys are going to like this one." Brook pointed out. "Let's go to Heat Isalnd and destroy a casino." He suggested. This casino was one of Big Mom's many and small businesses.

"Say, do you think I could-" Usopp started. He wanted to try planning again; he noticed Yuuto's slight glare.

Usopp looked a little guilty seeing that his plan didn't work toward the end. Yuuto then gave a slight grin; this was meant to be a learning experience for Usopp. "Yeah sure." Yuuto figured with Usopp's imagination; he could spend less time planning for these things. "We got the job done. That's the most important part. The bad thing is that Big Mom might start thinking it's us. It was only going to be a matter of time before Big Mom knew who it was." Usopp felt better.

Everyone agreed with that.

Yuuto added. "I don't want us to fight just yet. Luffy and Zoro have very distinctive fighting styles." Luffy and Zoro shrugged. There were not that many rubber men or swordsmen who wielded three swords out there. "Usopp," Yuuto smiled encouragingly at him. "Just learn from these mistakes. We'll come up with the plan together." Yuuto also looked at Robin signaling to her to maybe give some advice to Usopp as well.

Usopp nodded, actually appreciating the opportunity to tell stories about the adventures..

The crew stayed quiet for a moment. To break the silence, Franky started singing. "The Strawhat Crew" The others looked at him confused as to what he was doing.

Brook smiled knowing what to do. They had practiced this during the day before. He joined. "Behind the wheel!"

Franky continued. "Chasing down bad guys!"

Franky and Brook then sang together. "In the Thousand Sunny." The two continued singing that line over and over again.

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper laughed and joined them. Nami rolled her eyes while Robin laughed. Zoro and Yuuto shook their heads while Sanji slowly tapped his foot to the melody.

* * *

Heat Island

Next Day

"So how come we're not stealing from the casino but we're destroying it? Destroying it would be something terrorists do. We're pirates. We steal." Nami pointed out. It would be a tragedy for the money the casino owned to go to waste.

Zoro sighed agreeing with the plan everyone else agreed with. "If we stole the money, the casino would be in use again."

Usopp continued. "Big Mom would be able to use the casino the next day. If we take it out permanently, Big Mom loses a source of revenue for a while." Yuuto mentally added out a small source of revenue, but if it piles up then it could hurt her.

Franky nodded. A casino that large would take a while to rebuild.

Nami continued. "But all the money"

Sighing, Sanji started. "But Nami-san. We already have enough money." Nami shook her head hearing that. One can never have enough money.

Yuuto sighed. "Money isn't why we're doing this. We're destroying the property. We'll pull the fire alarm before we finally destroy it." There was no reason to get innocents involved.

Chopper added. "This is only one of Big Mom's many lucrative businesses. This was just the closest one."

"But. More importantly we get to set a casino on fire! That sounds fun!" Luffy stated. The men nodded. It was a man's romance to cause a fire. Nami and Robin didn't really see the appeal of setting the building on fire.

Robin sighed. "Nami, let the boys do their thing. The plan seems good." Robin did notice a flaw in the plan, but it didn't really matter. "We can do our own thing in the meantime. Everyone will be back at the ship by 11 PM tonight right?"

The guys nodded to confirm. After the fire, they needed to make a quick getaway. Robin continued. "Nami, let's go to town and go shopping." Zoro and Usopp looked at them weirdly seeing that they already lots of clothes. Yuuto knew better than to question it.

Nami's eyes became berri signs. "We could always use some more clothes." Sanji and Brook swooned hearing that statement. They were too excited at seeing them in their outfits particularly swimsuits, bikinis, or panties.

Both Robin and Nami didn't notice their perverted looks focused on the prospect of shopping. Robin couldn't help but smile at Nami's facial expressions. "Stay out of trouble boys." She looked at the rest of the crew as a worried mother.

With his face serious, Zoro stated. "We're destroying a casino." He looked at her to say staying out of trouble was impossible.

"Heavily guarded too." Usopp added.

"Impressive layout with security den-dens at every corner." Franky had looked at the blueprints.

Yuuto couldn't help but continue. "Yeah. There's no way we're staying out of trouble for this one especially if it has security. We might as well bring Luffy along." If Luffy was left out, he'd complain and whine.

Nami and Robin nodded as if to say good point. Franky then started singing. "The Strawhat Crew! At Heat Island!"

Luffy added. "Destroying casinos!"

The guys started singing that on the Thousand Sunny with Yuuto and Zoro awkwardly joining in. Robin laughed. Nami shook her head. "Is that what we're going to be doing every time we do something like this?"

That stopped everyone. Yuuto commented. "I hope we don't sing that while we're doing that." Everyone looked at Luffy who started laughing a little awkwardly. "We can sing that only on the Thousand Sunny." They agreed understanding a little need for secrecy.

Nami sighed. "Have fun. But don't get in too much trouble." She knew that was impossible, but still maybe that would help as a warning. "Robin, let's go." The guys started getting their disguises ready.

As Nami and Robin left to go to the nearest store, they started their own separate conversation.

"I bet you 200 berris that Luffy's going to be the one that messes up first." Nami added. She was sure Luffy would mess up this time. She was wrong last time.

Robin thought about it. "300 on Zoro. He'll get lost first and end up getting the crew in trouble."

Nami shook her head. "Alright. I think that's going to happen but I still think Luffy's going to mess up first." They shook hands on the deal. "How about 100 on Yuuto finding Zoro first?" Nami offered another side bet.

Robin smiled. "I bet 100 on Chopper finding him." She was involved in the plan and knew that Zoro was paired up with Yuuto. If Zoro was to get lost, he would have to be separated from Yuuto first. Robin had a higher chance of winning now that she eliminated one person who would find Zoro. She shook her hand with Nami.

Robin thought about another side bet. This was fun. "Ok. How about this one? When Zoro gets lost, he'll beat down the security before anyone finds him. 200 berris"

Nami winced. That was a hard one. "I'll take that bet. Zoro gets lost and when the crew finds him they have to beat the security who captured him. I'll raise you to 500 berris?" Nami and Robin always agreed to keep the quantities small; they knew they were going to bet multiple times.

"Agreed." Came Robin's confident smile.

As they shook on it, they both smiled. "You know. I feel kind of bad for Yuuto." Nami added. "He has to babysit all of those guys and he's the only one focused to handle all the trouble those guys are going to give him."

"True. It's a lot on his shoulders. If this were 2 years ago, I think he would have gone crazy." Robin added. "He probably would have snapped if it weren't for his girlfriend."

Nami looked up at that. She and Robin had been curious about meeting Hancock. "She must keep him sane somehow during their private conversations." They had gossiped about it trying to piece together what she was like. "It seems like their relationship is going to be even more serious."

Hearing that, Robin asked. "Did he also ask you about –" Yuuto asked her a question that caught her off guard. Yuuto confided her about something personal.

Nami smiled realizing what the question was. Yuuto had confided in her as well. "He did. He'll be fine. It was a random question, but I'm not surprised how serious he's taking the relationship. I just kind of wish we could meet her. You know. He kind of treats us as his "sisters" and I always wanted to approve whoever my sibling married."

Robin shrugged not knowing growing up with siblings. "Well, we'll meet her soon. She is supposed to chase after us." Robin pointed out.

"That's true. Hey-" Nami pointed out to Robin. "That looks suspicious right." Robin turned and saw a tall brunette in a pink shirt and jeans run to an alley while being chased by four men.

Nami told Robin. "We should help that woman out. Those men looked like they were about to…" She didn't know how to say or motion it. "You know" She stayed silent at that.

"You go on ahead. I'll watch your back." Robin looked around and tried to find anyone else who seemed suspicious.

Nami who ran ahead caught up to the alley and heard one of the men.

"Now that you're trapped darling we can show you a good time here."

"You don't have to get hurt. There's a hotel nearby." Another voice said.

Nami was furious hearing the implications and quickly took out her Clim-A-Tact. "Not so fast!"

One of the men looked at Nami lecherously. "Look another beauty. I call dibs on this one. There's something special about feisty red hairs. You can have the other one."

Another looked at Nami. Nami noticed that the gaze focused more toward her chest. "She's a little bit smaller but she's just as pretty."

Nami looked furious at the implication and wasted no time. "Thunder Tempo!" The brunette Nami was saving paused looking at Nami as if to analyze what she was doing.

All the men were zapped unconscious. The brunette looked impressed at the power she never witnessed before.

Nami then came over to her and looked at her brown eyes covered by her frameless glasses. "Are you ok? You're not hurt are you?" She then noticed that the brunette was older and had a larger chest than her which must have been what those disgusting men were referring to.

The brunette looked surprised at the concern Nami had. "No. I'm not hurt. Thank you. You're…" She looked at Nami more carefully. "You're Nami of the Strawhat Pirates aren't you?" Scared, Nami then decided to start running in case she would report to the marines; she didn't disguise herself as well as she thought. "Wait!"

Nami stopped and looked back curious. "I'm… I'm actually a fan of the Strawhats." That caused Nami to blush. "I won't tell anyone you're here on this island." The brunette then mumbled something before playing with her fingers as if embarrassed.

Unsure what to say, Nami offered "Thanks." This was a first meeting a fan. She didn't think pirates would have fans.

"I used …. to be a big fan of Luffy" Nami didn't think much about it. "But then I … became a fan of y... Bl… the Scheming Fox." Nami looked in surprise and saw the brunette blush as if she had a silly celebrity crush.

As Nami looked at this new stranger, this brunette had really nice skin. "I'll tell him that. What's your name?" Nami pointed out. That might sound good to Yuuto that he had a fan before the timeskip.

The brunette blushed and paused before answering. "Call me Selene." Selene looked at Nami carefully.

At that, Robin appeared and smiled. "Interesting." She had seen the whole thing.

Selene gasped. "You're Nico Robin." She then started breathing a little more rapidly as if nervous. Nami could only smile at this. This Selene was harmless.

"Nice to meet you Selene." Robin said the name carefully. Selene blushed hearing that hoping to make a good first impression.

Nami noticed this interaction and thought Selene was some sheltered woman. Perhaps she was a princess or an heiress.

"Nami." Robin started. "Let's go shopping. Perhaps Selene would like to come with us." Surprised at the offer, Nami looked at Robin; it wasn't like Robin to be so friendly to a stranger.

Selene then raised her hands up to not wanting to intrude. "It's ok. I don't want to intrude. I'm just a simple girl. I never really went shopping before." Nami raised her eyes at that. Maybe she was right. A normal girl would go shopping. "I really wanted to go out of the villa." Nami looked and smiled at what she revealed. Maybe she was right about how rich she was.

She must have had an overprotective family or a very sheltered life.

"Don't be silly Selene. Feel free to join us." Selene got the feeling that Nami wasn't going to take no for an answer. She nodded happily to go on this shopping experience with other females.

It would also give her a chance to know the Straw Hats outside of Luffy and Yuuto-kun.

* * *

Slight Timeskip

"Is this normal?" Selene asked. "Asking for a lower price?" She didn't really know any better; people gave her stuff for free. This kind of seemed disgraceful.

Robin nodded. "It's normal for her." This was one of the reasons she enjoyed shopping with Nami. Nami made sure to always get the best deals for their clothes.

Nami then pouted and looked at the cashier. "You should give us a 70% discount." She said it as if it was the right thing to do.

The store owner shouted. "You just went the other way! It was 65% before."

"Well, you're the one who's causing a scene and not giving us good customer service. As a way to make that up, give us a 75% discount." The cashier looked around. There was no one around them waiting because all the customers left the store annoyed at Nami.

Selene nodded. "Nojiko." She called Nami as if to bring her back to reality. She understood when the other two asked her to call them back their fake names. Selene had given them a fake name as well. "I'll pay for them." She told the cashier; she had enough money to pay for all of them. She wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Nami smiled at that. She kind of felt bad for having her new friend pay for them. She also noticed Robin's slight glare at that. "Ok. Fine. I'll pay for them now. Selene, yours too."

Robin took Selene's clothes and put them on the checkout. "Selene" tried to refuse. "No. I insist Selene." Nami told her.

Truth be told, originally Nami did want Selene to pay for the stuff. However, as she got to know more and more about Selene; she started to enjoy Selene's company and conversation. She couldn't do that to her new friend. It was as if Selene fit with them.

"Really, Nojiko… it's fine." Selene tried to refuse.

Nami then giggled. She found a weak spot in the conversation. Selene seemed to have a crush on Yuuto. "Well I promise you that the Scheming Fox would tell us to pay for you." Nami knew she was slightly lying but seeing Selene blush hearing that was fun.

Robin also smirked hearing that. She then whispered privately to Selene. "It's unfortunate but he is seeing someone right now." Selene nodded as if she already knew that. "We haven't met her yet, but we'll let you know if it doesn't work out. He might be interested in you." Robin teased while Selene turned red.

As the three exited the store, Selene then asked. "What do we do next?"

Nami offered. "Do you want to meet the rest of the crew?" Nami enjoyed teasing her about the Black Fox. Selene turned red and nodded.

Robin reprimanded Nami about the time. "Sorry. We can't do that. They're about to go out remember." She reminded him.

Nami checked the time. "Right. They're going out soon. I guess we can't take you to our ship then." Selene sighed in disappointment not having the prospect of meeting the rest of the crew. "We're also leaving the island tonight. I wish we could hang out more."

Suddenly, Selene asked. "Do you want to hang out at my villa before you leave?" Although this was unconventional, it was fun talking to them. "I could cook you a meal." It was the least she could do for them paying for her clothes. Besides, she needed to tell them who she really was.

Nami and Robin both looked at each other. "I could make a clone and drop off our clothes on the Thousand Sunny. We'll go with you."

Selene only smiled happily at that and led the way.

* * *

At Selene's suite

"Selene. You're a good cook. Not as good as our cook Sanji but definitely as good as Black Fox."

Selene blushed at that. "I find that hard to believe." She started playing with her fingers.

Robin smirked at that. "Did you know that chicken's his favorite dish?"

Nami looked surprised at that information that Robin freely gave out. Robin wasn't that careless or she really liked talking with Selene. Still, there was a suggestion that Robin had. "Robin. What are you doing? He's pretty happy now in a relationship right now with –" She caught herself. She didn't want to risk blowing who it was.

Selene sighed and whispered. "I know. I know that's Yuuto-kun's favorite dish."

Nami looked surprised. "Wait a minute. We never told you his real name." She looked at Robin who could only shake her head. Who was this person?

Selene blushed. "Let me tell you my real name. I'm Boa Hancock." She then poured some water on her hair to reveal her real black hair color and removed her glasses and brown contact lenses.

Nami was suddenly thankful that she actually paid for her clothes. She hoped she made a good first impression.

Hancock stood up and bowed before them. "I'm sorry for lying to you about who I am." Yuuto had always mentioned them with a tone that showed that they were like family to him. "I really did enjoy talking with you two." Hancock added.

Robin then chuckled. "It's fine. I had my suspicions when I sensed how strong you were and how you always acted whenever we talked about Scheming Fox. You didn't seem to like calling him Black Fox." Robin had put in two and two together and was open following that.

"Then you- " Nami was thinking how they first met at the alley.

"I was only running to the alley where I could beat them up privately. I didn't want anyone to see who I really was. I was only practicing my disguise for Yuuto-kun." Hancock confessed.

Seeing how Hancock acted, Nami then hugged which confused Hancock. "You're so cute Hancock. I really enjoyed our time together. I hope you can join our crew soon! I'll beat Luffy if he doesn't let you." Hancock laughed at that. She had already threatened that to Luffy. Nami wasn't as strong as she was, but she was sure Nami could hurt Luffy.

"I promise you. Next time we go shopping, I'll help you buy clothes that will really cause Yuuto's mouth to drop."

Hancock blushed at that. She was kind of going for turning him to stone. She then thought about what Nami just implied. "Does that mean the clothes you got me don't look that good?"

"No. Not at all." Nami defended herself. "It's just that they were picked in mind with you as a brunette and your glasses. Not how you look now."

Robin elaborated. "The tan dress we got was a different shade of your 'brown' hair and eyes."

"I hope next time we can actually go as ourselves." Hancock pointed out. Nami and Robin giggled at that. "Yuuto's really secretive isn't he?"

Nami and Robin nodded. "He's a little less secretive than most corrupt politicians." Robin added having observed some for the Revolutionary Army.

Hancock poked her fingers together. "I can understand though. He does that to protect himself." Nami and Robin looked surprised at that. "The less people know, the more they can't hurt him."

It was something Hancock did before to all men. Nami and Robin understood as well before they met the crew.

Hancock then gave a careful look at Nami. She remembered something that Luffy had mentioned. "You know. I did have a very serious crush on Luffy before." Nami blinked a little confused before becoming a little embarrassed while Robin smiled. "But I can see why that Luffy chose you."

Nami blushed. "What. But I don't even like him." She tried to deny that to someone she didn't know while Robin just gave her a disbelieving look. "Any more…" She tried to deny further. Even Hancock could tell Nami was lying about her feelings. Nami sighed realizing that she wasn't convincing anyone. "I don't think that idiot likes me romantically."

Robin chuckled. "Our captain does pay more attention to you."

"That's not true." Nami countered. "He loves all of us like family."

"If I may" The Strawhats looked at Hancock to allow her to continue. "During the two years, Luffy mentioned you the most." Hancock added. "Out of his entire crew." Nami blinked at that. "Yes, Luffy and Yuuto always wondered how everyone was doing, but Luffy always talked about you the most."

Nami could only stay silent hearing that. Hancock continued. "I didn't realize that until the last six months until Yuuto mentioned it to me." Hancock then pondered. "I wonder what a double date is like?" She smiled suggestively at Nami.

Nami blushed while Robin could only laugh at the implications. Nami then asked something that bothered her. "Wait. How did you and Yuuto end up together?" Hancock began blushing at that. Nami wanted the focus away from her. "Yuuto never told us no matter how much we asked him." Nami whined.

Hancock pondered at that. "Thanks for reminding me that Yuuto forgot to tell me where he was now. I'll make sure to give him my 'affection' later" She sighed was going to give Yuuto a cracked bone if she saw him. If Yuuto had told her, maybe they could have gone on a date on this island.

However, she looked at her captive audience and smiled. Perhaps, it was better this way to meet them. "We both have different versions to the story." Yuuto and her had a couple discussions about this. "I had a lot of trouble acknowledging my feelings for Yuuto. I thought I was in love with Luffy..."

"So Yuuto confessed first." Nami took the implication which Robin began smirking victoriously.

Hancock smiled victoriously. "No I did." That was one thing they both agreed on. "The day we officially became a couple was the same day I realized my feelings for him."

At that, Robin sighed and handed Nami some berries which Nami happily took. Nami was sure that Yuuto wouldn't confess first.

Hancock raised her eyes at that. Nami motioned for her to continue. "We have so many questions to ask. Yuuto didn't tell us anything." Nami whined a little.

Robin sighed and checked the time. "But we only have about 2 hours left before we are supposed to leave this island."

Looking down, Hancock continued. "I don't mind telling you. Maybe it might help you with Luffy." She then looked at Nami. "Again, I don't have feelings for Luffy anymore." As if to clarify. She was Yuuto's.

"I know. Besides, Yuuto gets jealous pretty easily."

"He's cute when he gets jealous. He's gotten jealous over Luffy before we even started courting each other." Hancock then looked at them and played with her hairi. "I'm really glad that Yuuto had explained to me how he sees you two as family." Nami and Robin both nodded at that. "He's not the only one who gets jealous." She admitted and laughed a little awkwardly every time Yuuto warned her how she went too far.

None of the Kuja women should touch Yuuto without his or her permission. She was just being protective.

Hancock answered any questions her two new friends asked and recounted her story. Nami had squealed the most while Robin listened intently. Robin looked at Nami. "Maybe that might help you with Luffy."

Nami gave a pout. " That story's not like me and Luffy. Besides…" Nami turned a little red. "I would rather have Luffy to make the first move if he does have feelings for me." Robin and Hancock looked up surprised at that. Luffy was… slow. Hancock might have known that the best.

"I want to be pursued after." Nami turned to Robin, who immediately understood what Nami was saying. "And don't bring up Sanji. Sanji will chase after any woman." She paused. "If I told Luffy that I liked him first, I think I'll make it awkward between us. At least, now we'll sail for a while." Nami turned to Hancock. "Hancock, typically the man pursues after the woman." She was feeling more hopeful that Luffy did have feelings; especially after whatever happened on Fishman Island.

Seeing Hancock's confused look, Nami continued. "Knowing Yuuto, he would have pursued after you in a more direct way if he didn't think you had feelings for Luffy." She noticed Hancock's scared look. "What you two have is something really special."

Robin continued to elaborate. "What Nami said is true. In our culture, the man is supposed to make the first move." She knew what Nami's point was. "Still, it was probably better that you made the first move anyway. Even if you didn't like Luffy, Yuuto probably would have planned too much before making an actual move."

Nami laughed. "Nah. I'm sure he made up for it. Do you think Yuuto treated you better when you two became an official couple?"

Putting her finger on her chin, Hancock thought about it. "I want to say yes. But he treated me really well even before we started courting."

Nodding her head, Robin confirmed. "Yeah. That sounds something that Yuuto would do." She looked carefully at Hancock's facial expressions. "Don't get angry at him for not making the first move."

Hancock sighed. "I'm not angry. It just feels weird to hear that it's not normal."

"Well, we're not exactly normal people living a normal lifestyle." Robin added.

"Yeah. We're pirates." Nami added cheerfully. "Besides Hancock, me and Robin have never been in a serious relationship, so it's not like we know." Nami added. "Life is unpredicatable like that."

"You're right. I wouldn't have imagined wanting to be with a man for the rest of my life." She confessed. " I just hope to be his wife one day..."

The two Strawhat women gave a knowing look at each other. "It's complicated because of the World Government. Trust us. He's serious about marrying you." Nami continued while Robin nodded. They didn't want to ruin it for her.

"I hope I don't have to wait more than 3 months." Hancock commented wistfully.

"It'll be worth it." Robin pointed out.

"Trust us." Nami added.

"Thanks." Hancock breathed out. "Hey Robin." She was curious seeing that they never mentioned anyone for Robin. "Do you have someone you like as well?"

Having forgotten that she had tried to match Robin with Yuuto, Nami looked at Robin who had a face she couldn't read. "No one." Nami was not going to mention what she did before to Hancock. That would be awkward especially if Yuuto mentioned that Hancock was just as protective as he was.

"A crush?" Hancock pointed out.

Robin shook her head no. "We should get going. We're leaving soon." Robin answered abruptly not wanting to talk anymore.

Hancock replied. "I hope we can spend time together soon. Albeit, I'll be trying to turn you to the government."

The two chuckled. "Well good luck catching us! We'll be ready for you!" Nami smirked and stuck her tongue out at her.

Robin chucked. "Hopefully, you won't turn us in where they'll torture us at Impel Down never to see the light of day again."

Both Nami and Hancock paused and looked at her carefully. "Well … I'm going to need to show some affection to Yuuto." She smiled a little sarcastically. She was a little angry that they missed the opportunity to spend time together.

* * *

Casino

"I'm glad that's over with." Usopp cried out. In front of the male Strawhats, the casino had toppled over in flames.

Yuuto sneezed for the fiftieth time that night. Chopper concerned. "When we get back to the ship, I'm going to check up on you. You have been sneezing all night." He looked at Luffy. "You too Luffy."

"Not as much as Yuuto." Luffy countered. He didn't like being checked up by a doctor.

"I don't think I'm supposed to get sick." Yuuto called out remembering some of the files on the Pacifista project. "I think someone's been talking about me." They then heard sirens showing the marines were coming. "We need to leave now."

Franky then spoke to the watch. _"Nami! Robin! We're on our way back! Ready the ship!"_

 _"I hope you ladies didn't miss your knight too much!"_

 _"Shut up Mr. Nosebleed!"_

 _"Now's not the time Sanji-san."_ Brook let out.

The guys heard a couple laughsbefore the girls as if they were keeping a secret. Nami then spoke up _"We're ready to leave. Be careful! Don't run into trouble on your way back. Especially you Yuuto!"_

Yuuto was confused about what they meant, but all the male Strawhats started running back to the ship. They fought against the weak blockades the marines had set up against them. Yuuto had a slight headache fighting some of the marines.

"By the order of the World Government, I will capture the Strawhat crew." Yuuto knew that voice anywhere.

Luffy also recognized the voice. He turned and was about to kindly greet her before he felt Hancock's murderous glare. He started shivering, that was the look she gave whenever she wanted to go Luffy-hunting. He then screamed to the public. "Please don't hurt me!" He did not want to become a Luffy hedgehog courtesy of Hancock. The normally fearless captain ran away.

Yuuto smiled. It seemed that Luffy was becoming a better actor. He then looked at Hancock's glare which confused him. She looked and pointed at them. "What makes you think you can come over here unannounced?"

Shoot! Yuuto heard the venom about being here unannounced. He purposely didn't tell Hancock he was here for a reason. Actually, he purposely didn't tell her he was on this island. Yuuto gulped. "I'll hold her off." She was his girlfriend after all and he had to apologize for something. He wasn't sure what, but he knew he had to apologize for something.

The other guys looked at the intense stare that Hancock was giving especially to Yuuto. All of them except Sanji knew better than to be involved. There was a time for introductions later. Sanji, not noticing the atmosphere around Hancock, only smiled. "Hello Princess! You must be- "

Yuuto punched Sanji in the gut. "Don't you dare flirt with her." Usopp and Chopper then immediately carried Sanji away.

"Good luck Fox-san!" Brook called out. Yuuto looked grateful that he remembered to call him Fox-san instead of Yuuto-san.

"You're gonna need it." Franky followed up He knew the signs of an angry girlfriend.

Zoro only grumbled at the change in attitude Yuuto had. He whispered something about him being whipped.

Yuuto gulped and looked around. There were some people around them, so they had to pretend to fight. Yuuto wasn't sure how angry she was from what she said. Behind his new fox mask, Yuuto prepared a fighting stance. "So…"

"Make the first move." Hancock slid to her snake fist stance.

He slid to a taekwondo stance and tried to kick her. She dodged and struck him twice. Yuuto knew that he would have to check his rib later.

As he fell to the floor, she tried to kick him. He tripped her and rolled away. They both got up at the same time.

Hancock then smiled at him which comforted him. She then charged forward while he sidestepped and struck her back pushing her forward.

With the increased distance, he tried to make the run for it. He then heard her bring out her bow and her arrows flew by.

"Come back. We're not done here." He heard as he hid behind a building to dodge another incoming arrow. That meant that she wanted to spend some quality time some more.

As much as Yuuto wanted to, he was feeling a little tired from earlier. He wanted their first time together to be a relaxing date, not them sparring. He already had to fight security and he had to make sure everyone was focused on the mission. They weren't there to play blackjack or talk to the scantily dressed waitresses as some of his crew wanted to do. "Can we do this some other time? I need to leave soon." Still, he knew how futile it was for him to ask that.

"Too bad! Not until I turn you in!" Hancock kept the charade.

Yuuto sighed knowing this was pointless. They were going to do this until they broke a bone. He typically lost these fights; good news was that he was fast healer.

He heard footsteps approach him. He pretended to give himself up which caused Hancock to be suspicious. She wasn't meant to catch him at all.

"Put your hands up!" Hancock ordered as she cautiously approached him with her bow threatening him. At that moment, Yuuto disarmed her and grabbed her hands. She knew she should wrestle free but she missed his touch more.

Even though it was rougher than normal, she missed holding hands with him.

He gave her an apologetic look, catching her off guard. He apologized quietly before twisting her hands and dislocating one finger. She kicked him away.

She gave him a slight nod telling him to leave. He fled the scene immediately while Hancock pretended to nurse her finger. She would call Yuuto later tonight.

With Yuuto gone, other marines came to the scene to ask her questions about the scene. Ignoring them, she focused on her ring finger pushing it back into place. Yuuto hurt that particular finger.

* * *

Thousand Sunny

"You mean to tell me you met Hancock!" Yuuto had shouted at Nami and Robin. He had been getting ready to go to bed. The crew was on its way to Doerena Kingdom. There was something that Big Mom wanted to deliver to Doerena Kingdom. Luffy wasn't interested in stopping Big Mom, but Yuuto convinced Luffy to go there because it had good meat.

"Yeah. She didn't know we were even here. I thought you would have told her." Nami pointed out. "What do you talk about on those long calls?"

Robin looked at Yuuto suspiciously who shook his head before sighing. He then reached looking for something he got on this island. Robin gasped remembering some of the history behind this island. "You -"

Yuuto nodded only for Nami to be confused. "What?"

Yuuto decided to show them a small box he got. Nami gasped loudly at the implications even though they knew it was coming. Yuuto explained. "This island has been famous for its diamond rings the last twenty years. I thought I'd find something for her."

"So that's why you asked us those questions?" Robin pointed out. Nami opened the box and squealed.

Yuuto nodded embarrassed about them. "I would be annoyed by the guys if I asked them that. Besides, a woman's opinion on this matter is more important to me. I needed someone to tell me I was ready and prepared."

Nami focused on a more important issue. "That rock is shiny." Robin nodded as well.

"I'm glad you think that." Yuuto smiled happy that it had their approval. "It needs to match Hancock." He paused before asking a more important question. "What do you two think about her?" It would mean a lot to him that they liked her as well.

"We like her." Nami pointed out. "She'd make a good friend." She stared still focused at the ring. She was calculating how much it was worth, so far in her head it was around 400 thousand berri and counting. "Just so we're clear. The money you used to buy this-"

"It's from my own stash. Not the crew's stash." Yuuto added knowing how mad Nami would be.

"How much-"

"Robin what do you think of her?" Yuuto quickly interrupted Nami, not wanting her to finish that thought.

"She's good."

Yuuto looked at both of them and sighed in relief. "That's good." He looked at them. "Thanks for keeping what I asked a secret. Let me know if you ever need help with anything." Yuuto was implying something to Nami; while Nami only stared to decline the offer. Nami made Yuuto promise that he would butt out between her and Luffy.

Yuuto could only shake his head at the irony but he would do something.

"It's not a problem." Robin told, also happy that Nami had decided to also butt out of her love life as well.

Nami then remembered something. "Say Yuuto. Who messed up first at the casino?"

Yuuto thought about it. "Zoro did. He got lost and beat up some guards before we found him." He then turned away. It wasn't a big issue. "Good night!" He was waiting for Hancock's call.

When they left the room, Robin smirked victoriously as Nami handed her her winnings. Nami looked at Robin more closely. "What?" Robin asked as if suspicious.

"Nothing." Nami looked away. "I didn't think you would predict Zoro so accurately. That's the fifth time you won a bet in a row about Zoro."

Robin laughed at that. "Well, maybe I just know Zoro better." A brief pause before Nami could analyze that statement. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll win the other bets. What do you think about this one? Yuuto will propose to Hancock after she joins the crew."

Nami shrugged. "I think he'll do it before. 200?"

Robin accepted. Nami then smirked and elaborated, "I feel Yuuto's plan is to propose when she joins. But how often does his plan the way he wants to?" Nami felt confident.

"We'll see." Robin looked at Nami carefully as Nami looked at Robin confused. "Be careful about our next destination." She had an idea about the situation at Doerena Kingdom from the Revolutionary Army.

"Why?" Nami looked curious.

Robin gave a sigh before letting out. "Those what have been working for royalty have been mysteriously murdered this past month." That was a strategy she would do before trying to overthrow a country. What were the chances Big Mom was involved with the current politics of Doerena Kingdom?

* * *

Short Summary of what has been done to help Luffy become Gonko (which is a goal for this current arc):

The crew has 20% of the world's wealth. (Last chapter)

They know of Big Mom's businesses and are slowly taking them down. They started with a casino. (This chapter) Jimbei is also playing an informant role for Yuuto.

Fallen Monk Pirates are "friends" with the Strawhats because of Chopper.(This chapter)

Kuja pirates are secret allies and Hancock is giving Yuuto information about marines through den den mushi.

This chapter they are focused on weakening Big Mom on an economic standpoint. This is meant for people to begin respecting Luffy as a possible Gonko candidate.

These other adventures is also meant to train the other Strawhats to be more mentally prepared/ stronger. This will probably be more obvious with Usopp and Nami in later chapters.

Still, I will also keep some light hearted moments and we'll see the Strawhats having fun or bonding moments.

The next chapter at Doerena Kingdom will be interesting and a little more intense. Luffy gets a more focused role in the next chapter.

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun writing!

Until next time!


	43. Chapter 43 Doerena Kingdom

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, One Piece 952, Leverage, or Skies of Arcadia Legends.

Some scenes and plot points that I wrote about drew some inspiration from a tv show called Leverage. Feel free to watch. It served as a good muse.

I will be using some characters in the future from a game called _Skies of Arcadia Legends_. (The game is about pirates.)

I also hope that you guys recall some parts of Yuuto's past. More _accurate_ information is revealed.

* * *

Doerena Kingdom

On the way to Doerena Kingdom, Yuuto smiled reading the news of their adventure in Heat Island. It reported how the Strawhats fled from Hancock.

Yuuto grinned that the real world had no clue Hancock was actually helping them.

"I see Doerena Kingdom." Franky shouted as he was on watch duty. "It's over there in the horizon."

"I'll tell the captain." Yuuto responded solemnly. From the casino, they found a report that Big Mom was going to help a mysterious benefactor take over Doerena Kingdom. Yuuto suggested that that they might be able to make Dorena Kingdom their ally if they stopped this rebellion. The Strawhats found some pictures of people involved and that there was a deadline that the deal had to be done by within the week.

* * *

With Zoro and Robin

After fifteen minutes of searching, Zoro then asked. "Who exactly are we looking for?"

Robin sighed at his impatience and pointed. They had just found one involved in the deal. "That one over there." Zoro looked and saw someone on a bench ready to eat his lunch: a sandwich.

"Finally. Let me talk to him. I'll figure out what we're supposed to do to help. It's been so annoying to find this one." Zoro wanted to cut something so bad.

Robin put her hand to stop him. She had a better idea and an idea judging by the impression she got from the picture. " I got this one." There was no need for violence.

Zoro looked at her in disbelief. "Really? What are you going to say to him? We know nothing about him. Let me talk to him."

"That's it then. I won't say anything to him." Robin smiled mischievously at him. Zoro looked at her in disbelief. "Really, I won't." Zoro looked confused. "Just sit over there." She pointed to a nearby bench for him to sit. "When he turns around to look at you. Do that thing you do with your eye" She pointed to her eye as she said that "that scares people."

As Robin started walking to their potential informant with Zoro trotting along, Zoro stumbled his words. "What." He was confused. "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

Robin turned to face him and smirked. "Oh you know exactly what I'm talking about." She motioned him for him to sit on the other bench.

Zoro mumbled about the puzzling and disturbing woman as he sat down and watched what Robin was about to do.

Robin then walked to the stranger taking out a new sandwich. She sat next to him, took his sandwich (it was her favorite food after all) and bit it.

The henchman looked confused as to the stranger having the audacity to eat his sandwich. "What." Robin looked. "Who the hell are you?" Robin suppressed a smile thankful for the disguise and continued chewing. A little bit scared at her reckless behavior, the underling continued "Do I know you?" She shook her head. "Did someone else send you?" Robin gave a grin at that as if to confirm the story.

She continued chewing. The unfortunate soul realized who this could be. He had made a promise to a local gang about the job. Now, they were going to hurt him for not giving the job to them. "This is about the job?" Robin nodded as if he finally got it right.

The scared man pleaded. "He already chose an Underworld assassination group to do it." He didn't want to get hurt. Robin then turned around to look at Zoro which the man followed her gaze.

The stranger gulped seeing Zoro's with his harsh look with his hand on his sword ready to cut him at any time.

"Oh god."

It seemed that Zoro was getting angrier the longer the weakling stared at him. The more he stared, the more he wanted to spontaneously combust. Being on fire felt better than seeing this intimidating swordsman's harsh stare.

He didn't want to imagine what he could actually do with his sword.

To Robin, the intimidation look that Zoro was giving just looked cute.

"I'm sorry." That brought her attention back, she raised her hand as if to confirm that he finally understood. " I didn't fulfill the promises I made to your gang leader. I didn't know my boss would choose the Underworld." Robin pretended to be annoyed, looked at her watch and got ready to leave.

Three. Two. She mentally counted.

One. "Wait." She looked back. The snitch took out an envelope. "This is the address. Maybe you can still take the job." Wanting to milk this more, Robin gave him a look as if to say if that was enough. "I'm sorry." She handed back his sandwich. The man quickly accepted and apologized again, this time more to Zoro. He quickly ran away not wanting to endanger his life any longer.

Robin watched him run and looked at Zoro. Zoro was slightly annoyed.. After inspecting the envelope, she handed him for him to look at. "See. Imagination is sometimes so much better than the real thing."

"You're one creepy woman you know that."

Robin only smiled at that compliment he gave her. "You know that stare you gave reminded me of the time at Water Seven when I saw you –"

Zoro blushed at the memory. "Shut up woman." Robin could only laugh at that. Zoro took out the card from the envelope to inspect it. "There's nothing on this card." He didn't read anything.

She looked it over and took out a special light. "The Underworld uses a special ink that can be only be read by using an ultraviolet light." Zoro looked curious how she knew that as she flashed her light on the card. "Remember I used to work for Baroque Works and I was a buyer." She then activated the communication system. " _There's an address on this card. It's a warehouse on Ninth Ave._ "

 _"_ _We'll go to Ninth Ave. We passed that street a couple minutes ago. We can make our way back."_ Nami called out.

* * *

With Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Yuuto.

As the four entered the warehouse, Yuuto motioned them to be quiet. He immediately grabbed Luffy as if to restrain him.

"Maybe it's better for Luffy to be outside." Nami pointed out.

"I'll bring him outside." Usopp quickly offered. It was safer that way for him as well.

As Usopp dragged Luffy out, Yuuto stared at Nami who didn't say anything. "What?" Nami was confused.

Yuuto shook his head. Nami wasn't like a lovesick person who would have wanted to be wherever her crush was. That was something he or Hancock would have done. "Sorry. I'll focus." He assessed the situation. "Take pictures of them." He pointed to the people.

Nami sighed. As they walked quietly and took the stairs, Yuuto noted the transaction and the people involved.

"I see the money. But where are the goods ?" Nami asked.

Yuuto sighed. This wasn't good. "They're not selling a product." He then spoke on the communication system. _"They're paying for an assassination attempt."_ He pointed to a man that Nami was watching.

 _"_ _See that man over there. He's carrying a sniper rifle in that bag. From the looks of it, he's been in the business for a while."_ Yuuto noted. Nami looked at him how he could tell. _"That tattoo on his wrist shows he's working for the Underworld. He seems really good."_

Outside, Luffy slapped Usopp on his back. _"I'm sure Usopp can beat him in a sniping contest."_ Usopp hushed him in case they were found out.

 _"_ _It's a hit."_ Yuuto confirmed as the assassin looked at the target's picture.

 _"_ _Can you take pictures? Remember there's a new function on our watch that lets you take pictures?"_ Franky added.

Nami nodded. _"I took pictures. It's up to Yuuto to label them."_ She uploaded the pictures.

Yuuto was watching the transaction and saw the sniper leave with his target. "A hit's going to happen soon. The sniper just left. _Luffy Usopp, a man should have just left the warehouse. Follow him."_

 _"_ _You sure this is a good idea. I thought we were stopping Big Mom from smuggling something. I don't want to deal with assassins."_ Usopp cried out. Nami also looked at Yuuto as if to agree with Usopp. This was not what they were planning.

 _"_ _Shishi. This sounds like fun. We're like bodyguards. We can do this Yuuto."_ Luffy exclaimed. _"I found him."_

Before Nami could talk to Yuuto about her reservations, Yuuto called out. "Do you want to risk an innocent life dying?" Yuuto fired back. He zoomed in on the picture the sniper held. _"I'm labelling who the target looks like. Give me a minute to figure out where the target's going to be."_

Nami looked confused and saw Yuuto put on his mask. He jumped out in the open and started attacking the guards protecting the buyer. She sighed. "I see." She was wondering why Yuuto was being so aggressive this time around.

Within 20 seconds, Yuuto took out the 4 guards and held the buyer. "Who were you trying to kill?" Yuuto asked as threateningly as he could.

The bag man gulped nervously. "I won't say."

"That's fine." Yuuto then broke a pinky. "We still have 19 other fingers and toes to go before we go to the main event." Yuuto said a little maliciously. "You sure you want to go through that?"

"Alright fine." The coward cried out. "I was just told to deliver this picture with the address to the assassin with the address. She'll be around getting off the subway system at Ginger Plaza in 15 minutes." Nami took a note of that.

"Who is behind this?" Yuuto asked even though he already knew he probably wasn't going to get much help.

"I don't know. I was just sent this information." Yuuto punched him knocking him unconscious.

Yuuto said urgently. _"Everyone. Something tells me that this isn't going to be the only assassination attempt today."_ He looked at Nami. "We need to go to Ginger Plaza now."

"Why should we? Luffy and Usopp are after him."

Yuuto sighed. "Because - " Yuuto continued before he was interrupted.

 _"_ _Yuuto. This is bad. We just lost him in the crowd."_ Usopp cried out. Nami looked in surprise as if Yuuto expected that.

 _"_ _Usopp. Go to Ginger Plaza. We'll catch up. After that, think about where you would snipe from. Send Luffy there. Let me know. I'll protect the target from his angle. Usopp, stay on the ground."_ Yuuto looked at Nami. "We're dealing with professionals. An assassin of that caliber always pretend as if they're being followed and they can disguise themselves in a crowd quickly."

Nami gulped wondering what she and the crew got themselves into.

* * *

Plaza

Yuuto and Nami reached the plaza where Usopp was waiting for them. Upon seeing Usopp, Yuuto barked out. "Which building would you snipe from Usopp? Don't point or look to make it obvious."

Realizing how serious he was, Usopp trembled a little. "I would snipe from the building behind us. Luffy hasn't responded yet."

Nami put her hands to her mouth worried about Luffy.

Yuuto looked over at Nami's facial expression, already knowing what she was thinking. "Don't worry. Luffy's fine." He sensed Luffy's aura. "He's still moving. He just hasn't found him yet."

"What makes you think he's at the building Usopp pointed out?" Nami pointed out.

Yuuto looked at Nami in disbelief. This open area would be best to be done by a sniper. If the target saw the assassin, they would run. It would be best to not to see the kill coming.

Usopp verbally defended himself. "Are you doubting my skill as a sniper? That building gives the best view of the entire plaza. Not to mention -"

Nami apologized getting the point. Yuuto instructed. "I'm going to protect the target. _Luffy, you haven't found him yet?_ "

 _"_ _No. I'm checking every room."_

Yuuto frowned. " _Check the roof first."_ Nami and Usopp shook their heads as if that was obvious.. He looked over at the crowd forming. "She'll be out soon."

"Yuuto-" Nami pointed out worried over his safety.

"I'm a bodyguard remember. I can keep her alive." Yuuto walked away. "Think of a way to get her away safely. We need to draw the sniper out. Cover me when the sniper fires." He called out.

Nami and Usopp stared. They were feeling overwhelmed a little bit and promptly hid.

The target came out in the open. Yuuto ran up to her. "Excuse me miss." He needed her attention.

She looked up confused. "Yes?"

"Do you know where the –" He thought of some famous sights here. "Mendel Museum is?" He then moved his head forward to cover her from exposing herself.

Usopp, who was watching this, took note of Yuuto's action. That little opening she almost gave was covered up immediately by Yuuto. If she had been exposed any longer she could have been sniped.

The target replied. "Yeah. It's five blocks south over here."

"I see. Thanks." He was running out of things to talk about, so he resorted to his final plan. He took his hand out to show his thanks. She took his hand and shook it. "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah. No problem." After a few shakes. "Wow! You have a strong grip." She pointed out.

"Yeah. I know." Yuuto then sighed. He had done this before but he couldn't hesitate. "It's why I have to do this." He then approached her and quickly turned her around. He then picked her up and ran to the nearest place for cover.

In a nearby building, the assassin fired when he saw his target lifted up. He fired and hit Yuuto's side.

In the same building, Luffy smiled and started climbing up. He could tell where the sniper was from that sound.

Nami then produced some fog while Usopp produced some smokescreen.

"Who are you?" The scared woman asked.

"Right now, I'm a good guy. I'm trying to protect you." He was bleeding a little bit but it wasn't life threatening.

With the smoke throughout the plaza and the chaos that followed, the assassin didn't bother trying again. Just as he was about to leave, he was immediately punched by Luffy.

After a pause, Luffy reasoned what Yuuto would normally do. "Yuuto probably wants to talk to him?" He slapped the assassin's cheek lightly to see if he would wake up. "Come on. Wake up." After a couple slaps, Luffy just sighed. The assassin wasn't waking up anytime soon.

Luffy shrugged. Then again, the people he beat stayed unconscious for a while anyway.

* * *

A couple minutes later

As Luffy dragged the assassin out the building, Usopp and Nami sighed in relief. The danger was over. They then heard the marines coming to the scene.

"We should leave. The marines are coming." Nami warned out. The longer they waited, the entire place would be flooded with marines.

"Wait." Yuuto called out. "What do you do for this kingdom?"

Surprised, the former target asked. "I don't see -"

"Just answer my question. It's the least you can do." He then pointed at his wound as if she owed him.

She sighed. "I'm just the princess' maid." Some marines had arrived at the scene. Luckily, the Strawhats were in disguises.

"Um Hello." Usopp tugged Yuuto's shirt like a child. "Marines bad. Pirates go." Usopp whispered out. Unfortunately, it was loud enough for the maid to hear that. She widened her eyes in shock.

"We already know that this wasn't a random attack." Yuuto called out. He started hypothesizing what was going on as more and more marines came.

"Let's go now. Before more of them come." Nami frantically repeated out. Yuuto normally would have left to avoid the marines.

"Tell the marines that's the sniper who tried to kill you." Yuuto got ready to leave. Usopp helped him get out.

As the Strawhats tried to leave the scene, they were stopped by the highest ranking officer, a female captain with short red hair. Yuuto recognized her immediately from his program: Captain Isuka.

"You four." The four Strawhats froze seeing they were being called out. "Who are you?" The marines surrounded them.

The maid frantically pointed out. "They just helped save me. They're not the killers."

"We're here because we heard reports of a rubber man. We figured he might be here." The marine captain ordered harshly.

At once, Nami and Yuuto looked at Usopp and Luffy who both started sweating.

"I forgot to mention that he used his powers to stretch from building to building." Usopp whispered out.

Nami and Yuuto both facepalmed at that. The marines then took out their guns as if they confirmed their identity.

Yuuto sighed and took out his new fox mask to cover his disguise. He didn't want them to know about how he looked like.

Seeing the mask, the marine captain immediately called out "Code Hypnos." Hearing those words, Yuuto struggled to stay awake and went to sleep within 10 seconds. The captain nodded. "It's the Strawhats for sure. Arrest them." She turned to another marine. "Remind me to confirm Strawberry's report from Marineford."

The remaining Strawhats couldn't fight back. Normally, Luffy would have fight back, but he was afraid of the rest of his crew being hurt especially with the others looking over Yuuto. Each one was arrested with handcuffs while Luffy only had seastone handcuffs.

"Wait. Please Captain Isuka. They just saved my life and made sure I was safe. Just take that one." The maid pointed to the assassin.

Isuka looked and closed her eyes. "Take him too." The marines saluted and did so. Isuka then looked at the Strawhats. "Sorry miss, but this crew is an enemy to the World Government and must be arrested." She made eye contact with Luffy. "I've wanted to meet this crew for a long time. Especially Monkey D. Luffy." She emphasized the last part to which Luffy only stared at her defiantly. "Take them to the back of the truck. I want to talk with them privately."

The marines chorused. "Yes Captain Isuka."

As the 4 Strawhats were pushed inside, Isuka told the marines. "Be careful. Remember they have at least 6 other members. Possibly more." The marines saluted her as she then made her way inside to the back of the truck. The truck began to drive off.

The three awake members only stared at her. Isuka gave each a stare before staring at Luffy longer than the rest.

"So." Isuka dragged out. She began speaking in a softer tone. "You're Ace's little brother." After another pause, "You're like him you know."

"You knew Ace?" Luffy cried out.

Displaying her true emotions, Isuka sadly nodded. "Your brother saved me. It's kind of funny that he saved a marine who was always trying to capture him." Hearing the awkward silence, she continued. "Your brother was a good man who didn't deserve to die that day." It was something she always regretted back then.

"Wait." Nami asked confused. "Are you our enemy or a friend?"

Isuka sighed. "I suppose that's complicated. I'm an enemy to pirates." The Strawhats stayed quiet. "But I was Ace's friend. You really do remind me of Ace you know that." Luffy shook his head. "Always helping people even though you're a pirate." Isuka looked at Yuuto who was still sleeping. She scoffed and said another code word "Egeiro."

Yuuto slowly began to wake up. He looked at his situation seeing his friends and himself handcuffed. "What's going on?"

Isuka inspected him. "So you're Kaiya Yuuto. We have a file on you probably 6 pages long." Yuuto tried to remain impassive.

"What about me?" Usopp asked. He was curious about this file they mentioned.

Isuka examined him before noticing his trademark nose. "You're probably Sogeking." Isuka continued. "We don't know your true name. You're wanted for burning the flag at Enies Lobby. Not to mention you have lots of potential if the rumors are correct about you being Yassop's son."

Before Luffy and Usopp could say anything confirm the story, Yuuto looked at them to stay quiet. Any information the marines have could hurt them.

Having noticed the look Yuuto gave them, Isuka resumed. "I suppose that's not a surprise about keeping secrets. Your family was always secretive after all." Isuka pointed out. "Being the son of a former Underworld mercenary and Chaser."

Yuuto gasped in surprise. "What!" He didn't know what she was referring to. He was the son of two Chasers.

"We found out from the Lineage Factor Test we took back in Impel Down. We had to dig it up to find out who your father was." Yuuto glared at her. "I suppose you never met your father did you? The mysterious "Blood Soaked Fist" Takeshi disappeared 12 years ago." She paused as if to speak to herself. "Weird how no one remembers him. Not even his son." Yuuto raised his eyes at that. "We only have proof of his existence because of the files we have of the crimes he committed."

Yuuto gasped never knowing that and not knowing who he was. "Then he was- just my uncle." He was referring to the man he thought was his father, Sora. "Nothing more."

"What are you talking about?" Isuka asked.

Yuuto looked embarrassed and looked down. "Never mind." He breathed a sigh of relief. He had inferred from what he heard Impel Down that he was the result of an incestuous relationship between a brother and a sister. It made sense why it seemed that his father, well actually his uncle, never talked about his mother or his sister.

Still, why didn't he talk about her if it wasn't anything like that? Why pretend to be his father for so long?

What type of man was his real father then?

Luffy, Nami, and Usopp looked at him wondering what was going on through his mind. Yuuto had mentioned about his …dislike… toward his father.

Isuka simply stated. "I take it you didn't really like the man you thought who was your father growing up."

Yuuto sighed before nodding. "I don't want to be anything like him. He wasn't someone who cared about his kid."

Hearing that, Nami immediately told him. "You're not like that. You asked me already." That was the question Yuuto had asked her and Robin about. "You'll make a good father." She reassured him again.

"Still, it's not like your real father's was going to be much better. Not to mention how cruel he was reported to be and what crimes he was responsible/probably responsible for." Isuka pointed out.

Yuuto only stayed quiet at that implications and hoped he wouldn't be like his real father. Seeing Yuuto's pensive self about this newfound information, Usopp hit him. Luffy and Nami gasped at that. Usopp rarely punched his crew mates. Usopp vented "You shouldn't worry about who your father is or what he's like. You're not like whoever you think your father is. You're your own person."

Before Nami could ask Usopp to calm down, she stayed quiet seeing how serious he was. They reminded her of the time when he fought for the Going Merry.

Usopp paused to catch his breath. "Besides, at least your father figure sticked around watching over you." He asserted the last part bitterly. "A son would appreciate his father sticking around." He said that from personal experience.

That struck something in Nami and Yuuto who remembered Usopp's story.

Seeing the pause the Strawhats had, Isuka coughed. "Anyways." There were more important issues and they needed to focus back to what the kingdom was going through. "Work whatever family issue out on your own." She watched Yuuto. "You're lucky. It could have been worse especially what they started with you."

Yuuto shook a little bit. She nodded. "They want to finish what they did back in Impel Down. You don't have to be alive for that."

Nami and Usopp were startled by a growl that came from Luffy. Luffy had a feeling what would have happened to Yuuto after Impel Down.

"I'll be fine Luffy." Yuuto called out.

"I won't forgive anyone who takes my nakama's freedom."

"There's a bigger problem we need your help with." Isuka called their attention. "Tensions are high in this country. This isn't the only attempt to attack the royal family's servants recently. There have been at least three deaths the last month, almost another one today."

"That can't be a coincidence." Yuuto pointed out. There was more than one assassin.

"We have reason to believe that the entire royal family will be killed soon. The next king who would rule will drastically change this country."

Nami chimed in. " You're talking as if you expect us to help you. But as you can see we're stuck in these handcuffs."

Isuka laughed. "Don't lie. You're not." She pointed at Nami. "You've been out of them since I entered the truck." She had seen Nami trying to get the handcuffs off Luffy when she walked in.

She frowned at that and tossed her handcuffs to her. Yuuto tossed his as well. "I just finished." Nami looked at him wondering what took him so long; they weren't hard. "What I was asleep and distracted." He defended himself.

Realizing how this pirate crew could be her best shot to help the country especially from her comrades Smoker and Tashigi, Isuka sighed. "Listen, I've been working on this case for months. The only time that we actually saved someone was with you guys. If you're like Ace, you can help us save this country before it gets worse. The people here do not want to go to war." Isuka recalled how Smoker and Tashigi vouched for the Strawhats.

"And we're supposed to believe that you won't chase after us." Nami pointed out. Usopp and Yuuto nodded at that. Luffy stayed quiet watching the whole exchange.

"I know it's hard to believe." She then tossed Luffy and Usopp the keys to their handcuffs surprising everyone. "But I owe Ace my life." Isuka confessed. "I was the one who recommended him to become a Shichibukai." She shook her head. "Headquarters purposely didn't station me at Marineford because they knew of my history with him. We were … friends." She added wistfully.

Luffy nodded believing her immediately. Nami sympathized with her hearing that tone; it sounded familiar to her.

"If I couldn't save him back then, maybe now I could at least help his precious brother." Isuka smiled a little sorrowfully towards Luffy. Luffy also saw a touch of regret in those eyes. "Listen, the marines are ordered to be chasing you down, but I can help you escape again if you get caught when I'm around." She turned to Luffy. "I'm asking you. This country needs your help."

"Do you have any information we can use?" Yuuto asked a little forced in case Luffy wanted to help her. Luffy seemed that he was thinking.

"We have been looking into the Duke. If the king and his immediate family died, the Duke would rule the throne. That's our only suspect especially since all the others who could rule next mysteriously died. The people don't want him to be king. He's made it clear that he would cause unnecessary war with other empires." The Strawhats nodded.

Isuka then warned cautiously. "Be careful. You're probably one of the most wanted man in the entire world Luffy." The potential of capturing Dragon's son was huge. If they could capture his son, they could possibly cause another war, possibly ending with the Marines' victory again. Nami and Usopp understood. "Make it look good." Isuka then pointed to her face.

The Strawhats looked confused before Yuuto figured out what she wanted. "She wants us to knock her out unconscious." That way it seemed she struggled and she could report to her superiors.

Nami and Usopp laughed hearing that. "You don't have to do that." Nami pointed out. Yuuto also grinned at the timing.

Confused, Isuka let out. 'What do you mean? I have to show signs that I struggled." All of a sudden, the truck stopped. "Wait. We're here! That's not good I thought we had five more minutes." She looked at the Strawhats who were all grinning. "What are you smiling about?"

Luffy smiled. "They're here."

"Who's-" Gunfire then interrupted her. Isuka stood up, motioned them to stay inside, and went outside the truck. As soon as she did, she heard a beautiful melody that lulled her to sleep.

"Yohoho! Sorry we're late. Franky-san's tracker was hard to read." Brook was with Chopper who was wearing ear plugs.

 _"_ _After Zoro-bro got lost so many times, I knew it would be good to have a tracker in those watches."_

 _"_ _I don't get lost!"_

 _"_ _Yes you do Marimo!"_

 _"_ _Can you just meet us back at the ship!"_ Nami ordered out.

 _"_ _Yes Nami-chan!"_

After taking out his ear plugs to protect him from Brook's ability, Chopper spoke out. "Is everyone ok?"

Usopp smiled. "We're perfectly fine Chopper. Let's get out of here." He wanted to run away as quickly as possible.

"Um. Usopp… Yuuto got shot." Nami pointed out which caused Chopper to get worried.

"Oh right…." Usopp was slightly embarrassed forgetting Yuuto's injury.

"Someone call a doctor!" Nami, Usopp, and Brook sweated at the one who yelled that. Luffy just pointed at Chopper.

"I'll be fine." Yuuto dismissed it. He had been in worse situations and the bleeding had already stopped. "It's just a small graze." Still, Usopp and Brook helped him exit the truck.

Before Luffy left, he gave a look to Isuka's sleeping form and nodded. He was going to help her.

A friend of Ace was a friend of his. [1]

* * *

Thousand Sunny

With everyone reunited, there were debates whether they should continue or leave the island.

"This is way over our heads." Usopp pointed out. "They have Underworld Assassins here."

"Not just that. The marines are already looking for us. They already know we're here" Franky was being practical. "Not to mention the people are scared of Lapen the Loose Cannon's around here." Franky heard of the new and upcoming pirate terrorizing the kingdom.

"We're not here to stop a man from overthrowing his country." Nami countered. "We're here to weaken Big Mom. This is putting all of us at risk for no reason."

"There's a possibility that the Duke has connections with Big Mom." Robin revealed. "One of the men we were following works under him." Zoro looked confused as to how she knew that.

Chopper chimed in. "If we don't do anything here, innocent people will die. We helped the people at Alabasta why can't we help here?"

"That's because Vivi was our friend." Nami defended. "It's not the same. We knew the entire situation back then. We don't know anyone here."

Luffy, Zoro, Yuuto, Robin and Brook stayed quiet while the others debated what to do. Zoro and Yuuto looked at Luffy for him to say anything. Yuuto sighed. He was the reason for why he chose Doerena Kingdom as the next location. "It's up to Captain to decide what we should do." This wasn't what Yuuto thought was going to happen. "Whether we continue here or go somewhere else. I only wanted us to come here to stop Big Mom. This is beyond what I expected."

They all looked at Luffy who had already made his decision. "We stay."

"What but Luffy? We have the marines and the Underworld against us here." Usopp called out. They had just escaped the marines.

Nami looked at Luffy curious. She wondered if this had to do with the female marine they met. "We don't know what we're up against." Nami added but she knew it was futile when she saw the look in his eyes whenever Luffy made his decision.

Seeing some of their insecurities, Luffy asked some of them. "Are you scared?" Usopp, Nami, and Chopper nodded their heads. "I'm not." He looked at each one of them. "I have the best swordsman, navigator, sniper, cook, bodyguard, doctor, archaeologist, shipwright, and musician helping me." Everyone blushed at the compliments Luffy was giving them. "I need their skills right now to help me right now."

The ones who were scared nodded at that. Yuuto looked around and saw how Nami and Usopp became more serious. "So Yuuto." Luffy pointed Yuuto out. "What should we do next?"

Yuuto sighed. He didn't really have anything planned for this. "We need to prove that the Duke's the one behind this. Robin you mentioned something?"

Robin smiled and took out the envelope that was given to them earlier. She pointed at the seal on the envelope. "That, my friends, is the Seal of the Duke. I recognize that from the Revolutionaries." Her knowledge from the Revolutionaries proved to be useful; the Revolutionaries kept tabs on all the kingdoms. "The envelope had the location where the deal took place. The Duke is involved for sure if it has his approval."

Being realistic, Zoro pointed out a possibility. "What if it's stolen? Or forged?"

Robin shook her head. "The seal can't be forged. Stolen's a possibility, but" as she took out the card, flashed light on it, and pointed at the incriminating evidence. "There's also his signature. To have both his seal and signature shows how official this is. We're lucky they didn't burn this. That henchman should have burned it a while ago."

That was how Baroque Works did it. Robin dismissed at the amateurs they were dealing with.

Sanji had heart eyes and praised her. "Robin is so amazing to know that."

Nami asked. "Is there any way for us to pin this on him and give him to the marines"

Robin smiled at that. "I have an idea. Leave it to me and Zoro." She then looked at Zoro before smirking at him. "Think we can find him again?"

"I don't know why you need me." She was intimidating by herself.

Sanji voiced his displeasure of not being picked. "Oi oi. What's going on between algae head and Robin-chan?"

"Nothing's going on Sanji-kun." Robin interjected. "It's just that Zoro scared the guy giving us this information. I didn't even need to say anything." She slightly teased. Well this time, she was probably going to have to say something.

Some of the crew hearing that just started laughing. The only ones who didn't laugh were Usopp, Yuuto, Chopper, and Brook. Yuuto was slightly distracted while the others were slightly scared of Zoro's scary side.

"Zoro's scary?" Luffy knew his First Mate.

"But he's actually a softie." Nami let out. She had Zoro under her control so easily sometimes.

The others let out a couple laughs before they calmed down.

Only for the silence to be interrupted by Sanji. "I always knew Marimo head was scary. He's going to be the next boogey-man that parents will tell their parents to sleep." Sanji mocked. "Make sure you check your closet or under the bed for the lost green haired boogey-man."

The laughs continued.

"Shut up. I'll cut you guys up."

"Anyways," The entire crew had calmed down hearing Robin's voice. "I'm sure Zoro can scare him again." Everyone started laughing hearing that again. She grabbed his arm and tugged it. "Come on Zoro. Let's find him again." She led him away.

Nami looked a little suspicious at that but shook her head. She was probably thinking too much about something that probably wasn't there.

"Franky and Usopp." Yuuto tried to maintain order. Everyone else was too noticeable if they went public. "Think you guys can find out who else may have helped the Duke." They nodded. "The rest of us, we'll wait for more information." Yuuto then left the room to think.

Once he was gone, Brook asked; he had noticed. "Is Yuuto ok?" Yuuto didn't seem as focused on the mission as before. That was news to Sanji, Chopper and Franky who hadn't noticed anything particularly wrong with Yuuto.

"He'll be fine." Luffy wasn't worried and then picked his ear. "Anyone want to play a game while we wait?" Luffy offered.

Nami and Usopp thought about what happened and Usopp remembered first. "I'll talk to him. I need to apologize to him for punching him anyway." He motioned Franky to go without him.

The rest of the crew looked curious as to what happened. Luffy seemed clueless and Nami sighed. "Let me explain what happened."

* * *

Men's Quarters A

"Yuuto." Usopp knocked on the door, respecting his privacy.. "Yuuto. I came to apologize." He knocked again

The door slightly opened. "For what?" Yuuto wasn't angry at him at all.

"I shouldn't have hit you."

The door opened more as he remembered. "It's fine. I'm over that now." Usopp went in.

"Then why you did you go to your room." Usopp said disbelievingly. "I meant what I said." Yuuto looked confused before Usopp elaborated. "You'd be a terrific father. Not like however your father that you described."

"Uncle…" Yuuto corrected now that he knew the truth. "The fact that my real father wasn't a model citizen doesn't make me happy." He never heard about him before and couldn't help but be curious about him.

Usopp sighed. "You're different from how you describe your father and the other Chasers. Besides, I'm sure you'd be better father than whoever your real dad was. I'm 100% sure you'd be better than my own dad."

Confused, Yuuto turned to him. "But you always boasted about him being a pirate. How can you say that?"

"He was never around. I always respected him as a pirate, but as a father," There was some distaste in those words. "That's something completely different." Usopp recounted truthfully. "He left when I was a baby."

Yuuto stayed quiet. He had heard some parts of this story before, but it seemed that Usopp was going to reveal something personal. He already knew that Usopp was an orphan. "Growing up, it was clear that my father wasn't going to come back. My mom made that clear. But even then, I saw how much she loved him whenever she talked about him." Usopp sat down.

"I was always so proud of the story my mom told me about him. How he was brave. How skilled he was with his gun. I heard every tale my mom told me and wished I could be like him."

Yuuto could hear the emotions of a lonely child who had aspirations to be like his father.

"When my mom got sick, I lied to her that dad was coming back. I always believed that if I said it, it would come true." There was a mood change. Yuuto could see how the story continued. How a child grew up to face the truth in which how the world worked.

"Maybe Dad would hear his son's cry and come back. It would cheer her up and she would magically get better." Usopp smiled as he reminisced those innocent plans he had. "But she always saw through my lies."

After a pause, Usopp let out a secret. "When she died, that was the first and only time I ever hated my father." Usopp stayed quiet for a moment. "She told me not to hate him but I still did."

"What do you mean?"

"I understand the thrill of being a pirate. But for once…" He paused before continuing. "At that moment, he should have been there for his kid." Usopp reflected. "To support his kid. Even if I cried to him and he said nothing to comfort me would have been fine. He should have been there." There was tone of sad bitterness.

Yuuto stayed quiet unsure what to say. "Still. I want to respect my mom's wishes no matter how hard they are. I don't hate my father." Usopp confessed.

Yuuto could tell that might have been a lie with the hidden animosity in his voice. "You ok?"

Ignoring him, Usopp looked at Yuuto. "I'm fine. I'm over it. Yuuto, you're the type that if you say you're going to do something, you're going to do it."

"But-" The life Yuuto led right now was kind of hard to take care of a child.

"No buts. You would make sure that it goes perfectly smooth for everything. That's why you plan. If you care about being a good father, you're going to be a good father. If you don't care about it, you wouldn't put in the effort."

"Thanks." Yuuto let out. He didn't mention how his plans always had a slight bump but understood what Usopp was trying to say. "It means a lot that you say that." He had already asked Nami and Robin, but it still meant a lot hearing that from someone who knew him well. Especially if he didn't prompt him.

Both of them were suddenly startled with a sudden knock.

"Yuuto open the door." Sanji's voice came out. "This Hancock must mean a lot to you if you're worried about being a good father."

"Sanji-" Yuuto let out.

Usopp widened his eyes; he never considered the implication. "Is she preg-"

"No." Yuuto whispered out, turning a little bit red at the implied intimacy. Seeing the raised eyebrows, Yuuto continued. "We never did anything like that. We're waiting when we can be together for a long time."

Usopp muttered about how much of a surprise that was and how Yuuto must have had a lot of self-control.

Sanji banged on the door again. "Open the damn door. I need to tell something to Yuuto about what being a father means. Nami-chan told me everything."

Yuuto motioned for Usopp to open the door. As Usopp opened the door, Sanji already had his foot raised. "Do I need to … Oh right. I forgot you were here. Usopp." Usopp sweatdropped realizing that if he had opened the door at the wrong time he would have been kicked. Sanji then turned to Yuuto. "Listen. Do I need to kick you fox idiot that you would be a good father?"

"Uh..." Yuuto pondered. This was rare for Sanji.

"Listen. Let me compare you to the piece of shit that my blood father is." The secret prince started. "He only saw me as a failure. He never cared about me." Sanji had never told the crew about his real family. "He didn't stop me when I ran away from home. In fact he was so happy when I ran away from home."

It was music to that man's ears actually as Sanji recalled. He stopped and shuddered at his memories that he kept hidden from his crew. The times he spent being beaten by his own brothers. The months behind that iron mask and prison. If there was something he could say to his younger self, it would be to not waste time seeking his that man's approval.

He wouldn't have mentioned anything about his family history at all but it seemed that Yuuto needed this.

"Although you may have been annoyed, you never put any of us down." That was something he was always angry about. "Besides, you already had a lot of parenting experience if you have to deal with Luffy, Marimo, and Usopp."

"Oy." Usopp felt that Sanji should have included himself as well. Still, that look on Sanji's face told him to stay quiet.

"I know that we're not perfect. Well that's more seaweed head than me, but still you already act like a father to us in your own way. You demand the best from us and I see you demanding the best from your future kid. Your kid will have a lot to live up to; but he'll thank you for it when he realizes it was for the best."

She… Yuuto silently corrected. Kuja women only had female children.

"Don't worry about whether you're going to be the perfect father. You'll be a great father. Things never go perfectly according to your plan anyway." Sanji reassured him.

Yuuto nodded. He gave a smile showing that he was feeling better.

Sanji sighed. "I just hope this Hancock-hime knows that she's going to need to help you so much. A beautiful woman like her needs a good husband. I'll be there to help just in case you won't."

"What- I-" Yuuto glared at Sanji. He didn't like someone else giving Hancock a nickname when he hadn't met her yet. Not to mention what Sanji implied.

Usopp only laughed at that. It seemed that Yuuto was back to normal.

* * *

At the Thousand Sunny Deck

Meanwhile, Luffy, Nami, Chopper, and Brook were playing poker. Franky was out to see if he could talk with the locals about the Duke.

Knowing how long it took for Luffy to understand the rules, Nami sighed. "Do you think you should fold Luffy?" It wasn't fun if she would win all the time. Chopper and Brook had folded already.

"No. I think I'll win this time." Luffy smiled.

Nami sighed and then revealed her hand. "I have a pair of 8's." She didn't have a good hand so there was a chance Luffy could win. She had an 8 of clubs and the flop had revealed the 8 of hearts.

Luffy smiled. "I win. I have a flush. All red cards." He smiled to reveal an ace of hearts and a queen of hearts. He then pointed to the red 3, 8, and K revealed.

Just before he could even touch the chips, Chopper stopped him. "Luffy." He sighed wanting to double check.

Brook continued. "Luffy-san. That's a 3 of diamonds." He looked to see whether Luffy actually did win.

Still oblivious, Luffy nodded. "Yeah. They're red." He then continued to slowly grab the chips and push them toward him.

"That's not how a flush works!" Chopper yelled at him. "Don't take these chips. They're Nami's!"

"What I lost? But I'm telling you I have a flush."

Nami facepalmed wondering how long it would take for Luffy to really understand what the rules were. At least, he already improved by not saying what his cards were and knew what hand beat what. It took him at least five games to do that. Nami looked at his cards. "Can we penalize him for not saying the real reason why he won?" Chopper and Brook shook their heads no because Nami would have won and they didn't want to increase their debt. She then pointed at the ace of spades that was revealed as the river card. "You win because you have a pair of aces."

She examined again at how he won. Interesting. Ace of Spades. Luffy noticed too and became a little quiet at that. He slowly grabbed his chips to his side.

Chopper and Brook noticed how the mood became a little quiet.

"It's interesting that even now he's still watching over me." He said quietly. Brook gasped realizing the connection while Chopper was focused ready to deal the next round.

Brook didn't know what to say and looked to Nami. "Well." Nami thought about it. "It should make you happy that there was a marine who knew that he was a good man and didn't want him to die."

Luffy smiled hearing that. "Yeah." Seeing Nami's curious look at him, he felt the need to explain. "It's kind of why I wanted to help her. She must have been close to Ace for her to know what a good person Ace was." Luffy looked at Nami to see if the explanation was good enough.

If Isuka hadn't helped them escape first, Nami would have voiced not to trust her. Seeing Nami nod at that made him smile. Luffy didn't know why but now he felt he understood what Yuuto meant about explaining things carefully to your girl.

Chopper then dealt the cards to everyone. "Luffy. You start us off. Do you raise, call or fold?"

He peered at his cards and saw he had the queen of hearts and the queen of spades. He smiled to everyone, knowing he had a good hand. "Call." He didn't know how much he should raise.

Brook folded, not liking his hand.

"Call" Chopper continued.

Without missing a beat, Nami continued. "I raise to 200 berris." She had the king of hearts and the ace of hearts. She gave a knowing smirk to both Chopper and Luffy.

Chopper freaked out at the smile and felt that he was going to lose big money at this one. He was going to fold when it was his turn.

Only Luffy smiled back at Nami. "I call."

* * *

Franky

Franky's plan was to go around the pubs to see if there was anyone who knew anything about the Duke. He figured there must have been some shady business the Duke would have made with before turning to the Underworld.

Unfortunately, he heard a large crash and rumbling in the city. He would have avoided the trouble because of what Yuuto said. The crew needs to maintain a low profile.

He would have if he hadn't seen the robot tank.

It was almost as if it was challenging his General Franky. Especially with the inferior design.

Normally, he'd be impressed with the machine, but it didn't look super cool like General Franky. The tank had one arm as a laser and one fist. It had a skull plate on the front of it with pipes on the back making it slightly look like a train with treads.

Franky could only sigh at the design flaw. It may have firepower, but the tank was going to have limited mobility.

He had read the newspaper about Doerena Kingdom. A newcomer pirate Lapen "the Loose Canon" had been recently terrorizing parts of Doerena Kingdom with his new tank which he nicknamed "Gunarm."

Franky raised his eyes seeing the tank launch yellow mechanical cones. That was a new idea. What could they do?

As soon as civilians started running away and lasers fired, he knew he needed to stop staring.

 **"** **Franky Rocket Launcher"** He needed to show he wasn't ready to back down. It would take a while for General Franky to come, but he was sure he could manage.

"Who's destroying my frocks?" Lapen yelled and turned around. He was alarmed by the cyborg who fought back. "What are you?"

Franky didn't answer that question. He wasn't supposed to draw attention to himself but he just needed to show that he had the superior robot. "I can't turn down a robot fight!"

"Pft. A weakling like you doesn't stand a chance against my Gunarm." Lapen then unleashed a barrage of missiles towards Franky.

Franky stood there and smiled. He could take the hit.

Lapen smiled as the missiles hit the target. "Told you." As he got ready to drive away, he heard vehicles approaching by. He watched and noticed what they were. "Who made that and where did he get the wapometal?"

" I did. Super General Franky Transform!" Franky yelled as the vehicle began transforming to General Franky.

As soon as the transformation was done, General Franky did a pose while Franky whispered to himself. "And that's how it's done."

Hearing the silence, Franky angrily yelled. "What you're not impressed by my super robot!" His robot was superior than this lame robot tank.

Lapen just stared. "That robot doesn't look cool at all. My tank will demolish your robot." Lapen understood the secret challenge he issued out. They were going to have a robot fight in the city.

Franky fumed hearing that and motioned for the Gunarm to come at him. "Well it beats your robot. Just watch. **General Left**." He fired at Gunarm knowing that the tank couldn't dodge well.

Lapen called out his counterattack. **"Sidewinder."** This time more missiles came out from his tank. After the missiles fired, Franky's bullets the Gunarm but not damaging it too bad.

Franky would normally tank the damage but felt the needed to show the design flaw. General Franky effortlessly dodged attacks. "At least my robot can dodge attacks." He taunted. "That's why it's good to have legs. More mobility and range." General Franky then leaped in the air and kicked taking a page out of Sanji's book.

 **General Franky Flambage Shot**

"My tank can handle whatever you give me. Bullets, fires, missiles. I'm not sure if your robot can handle the the firepower I'll bring." The tank then aimed at General Franky and prepared his laser. " **Moonstone Blast."**

The thin laser pierced through General Franky's shoulder. Franky analyzed the situation and realized the parts damaged affected his laser.

"I guess I can't show you my laser or my thunderbolts." Franky shook his head. "My laser would have been larger than yours." Franky told albeit more to himself. "My robot can still move just fine but I'm going to have to use hand to hand combat instead." Franky grinned. If only Luffy could see this fight.

General Franky started charging toward Gunarm.

Lapen wanting to show physical strength also charged his tank. "I prefer close combat as well."

As the two robots approached each other, General Franky had both of his hands stretched far back. The tank collided with General Franky. The Gunarm slowly pushed General Franky back.

"Give it up. I'm winning. You should use your hands."

Franky smirked. "I'm going to copy one of my captain's moves." General Franky's arms then hurled forward at the tank.

 **Super General Bazooka**

The tank was launched up in the sky for a good two seconds before landing upside down. Lapen slowly got out admitting defeat. He didn't have a way to flip his robot tank back to normal.

General Franky yelled "Super!" while doing his signature pose. As the pose finished, the cockpit opened with General Franky's shoulders popped up with fireworks and confetti all around.

Lapen could only sweatdrop at this.

Before Franky could gloat more, he heard a yell.

"Halt!"

Franky went back inside the General Franky not wanting to deal with the marines. He sighed; he had forgotten about fighting the Duke.

At least, he fought a giant robot in the city and won right? [2]

* * *

Thousand Sunny

Franky was embellishing the fight to Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper; the four were a captive audience. Nami was counting her winnings from the poker game. Yuuto could only shake his head.

"Franky!" He called out.

"What Yuuto. I was just about to tell them how I sent the monster tank flying in the sky hundreds feet in the air. That pilot must have been in the air for twenty seconds."

Luffy chuckled and pointed to his crewmates that it was because it was his old finishing move. Sanji took a little offense to that. Why couldn't the General Franky have kicked the tank to the sky?

"Did they see your real face?"

"No." He told Yuuto truthfully. Nami and Yuuto nodded as if that was the important news. He then looked at the ones listening to the story. "Anyways, as he got out, acknowledging my robot was superior, I got out of my cockpit. I have it perfectly synchronized with me to do my Super pose the same time as I do it."

"So cool!" Chopper cried out.

Yuuto would have called him out on the slight lie before catching Franky's wink at him.

The door opened. Zoro and Robin came back to report the more news. "You got him?" Nami called out. They both nodded.

Seeing that his story was done, Franky then looked at the news mushi while Usopp checked the computer for more news. "There's a warrant for the Duke's arrest now." Franky reported.

"If the Duke's arrested now, whoever Big Mom hired for him won't make their move." Zoro called out.

Yuuto rubbed his forehead. "It's great we saved the country, but the problem I have is they don't know we helped them. The point of this was to help Luffy gain an ally."

Robin spoke up. "How were you going to plan that part anyway?" She couldn't think of any way so soon, so she did what she thought was best.

"I was getting there." Yuuto lied a little bit. He wasn't close to it at all.

"Who cares. We stopped an assassination. Isn't that good?" Chopper called out. They were like secret heroes.

"I think that calls for a celebration. Sanji! Yuuto! Franky! Brook!" Luffy ordered out. The four nodded and started. Yuuto was helping Sanji cook while Franky was helping Brook play music.

Only Usopp looked at Zoro and Robin curiously wondering how they accomplished the feat. That was something they never mentioned. "So… what did you do to him that made him confess everything to the marines?"

Before Zoro could say anything, Robin interrupted. "That's a trade secret." She winked at Zoro who only smiled remembering what they did to him.

Flashback

Unknown building

The unfortunate henchman began to stir. When he realized he was bound, he panicked and looked around his surroundings. He didn't know where he was. It seemed that he was in a poorly lit room connected to three other rooms. He remembered that he was being choked by what felt like three different hands.

"Where am I?"

The green haired intimidating swordsman that scared him during lunch came in. He entered in carrying an unconscious male body before tossing it to another room. He gave him a rough look before leaving the room.

Was that person dead?

"Now. Mr. Daemon." He didn't recognize the woman's voice that echoed the entire room. How did they know who he was?

He looked around and saw the silent woman from lunch time. He gulped realizing he had made a promise with the wrong gang. "I'm sorry. " He had already apologized. He had given them everything already.

"Sorry's not good enough." She smiled cruelly. She then approached him and injected something into him.

"What-"

"Don't worry too much. This is just a drug that we've been developing." Robin smiled at the syringe that Chopper had left in her bag. This was just filled with water.

"Drug? What does it-" He didn't know the Intergang manufactured drugs. The gang was only known for violence.

"You start to hallucinate." She said cheerfully. "Before it kills you in twenty minutes."

"What do you- " He stopped seeing an eye appear on her forehead. When he blinked, it was gone.

She smiled viciously as she walked away. "Most of the victims claim they see body parts everywhere." She gave a look. "I can tell the drug has already started working." Daemon could tell that she was enjoying this.

"No." He denied. The man tried to look away from her but only began to see more eyes appear on the floor and on the walls. When he blinked, they were gone.

"What do you want? There's got to be a cure." He could only guess. Those eyes weren't really there; he reminded himself.

He noticed an eye on the wall looking at him as if it could shoot lasers through him. He gulped and tried to remain calm.

"There is." She looked around. "But I think it's more fun this way."

At that moment, the green haired man entered again carrying a another body.

The psychopath woman sighed. "Didn't you say you were bringing only fifteen? I counted, you already brought in 18."

"I said fifty. I killed fifty with my sword. Woman get your ears checked."

Daemon looked scared even more. If he wasn't subjected to this drug, he would have been killed by this psychopath. "Can I-" Daemon let out.

"Quiet." Daemon was interrupted by the unknown woman and her hand raised. "The adults are talking right now." She sighed angrily. "Bring that body over. Let him know what's going to happen to his body after he dies."

The man complied and walked over calmly. Daemon looked at the body presented. There were cuts all over the body.

The same woman's voice came from ceiling. "We're going to harvest your body's organs and sell them." Daemon turned his head and saw the woman on the wall. More accurately, just the head.

Before he could scream at the talking head, he felt as if a mouth appeared on his neck.

"You're next."

The mouth opening on his body sent chills throughout his body. He finally screamed at the weird sensation and what he heard. He wasn't sure what was scarier this weird mouth he had on his body or what would happen to him when he died.

The green haired man continued as if nothing was wrong. "Quiet. Sheesh. You act as if there's a monster here."

The psychopath woman appeared to his left. "Remember. I gave him the drug."

The scary man nodded as if that made sense. "Oh. You already did. Poor guy. How much time does he have left then?" However, he spoke to his right.

"18 minutes left." The same psychopath woman spoke from the right as if she was there all along. Daemon blinked and didn't notice the woman from the left disappeared. "You know. Before he." She then puts her fingers across her own throat and made a kee sound.

It was obvious what that meant, and his pants began to feel a little wet. "Please. Please don't kill me. I don't want to die." He pleaded. Zoro gave a gruff look as if he didn't care. "I'll do anything. I'll tell you anything you need to know." Daemon spoke frantically to Robin. "Anything. About the Duke. About how he's been embezzling funds to set up his own private army. How he's been hiring prostitutes for himself." Robin and Zoro looked at each other saying that they didn't care about it.

Seeing that wasn't enough, Daemon finally let out the biggest issue. "About how he's trying to take over the throne. He's hired people to kill the royal family. He had help from Big Mom promising to give our country's metal to her."

Robin sneaked Zoro a grin before turning back to Daemon. Zoro went straight up to his face. "Is that everything?"

Daemon thought about it some more. "The Duke forgets to cap his pens and leaves them out to dry. It's why he spends a good fortune on pens and steals them from the king."

A moment of silence.

"I'm running out of patience." Zoro let out at the useless piece of information and unsheathed Wado Ichimonji. He was held back by Robin. He knew she was having fun and walked away to let Robin continue.

"We know about that already. We're just angry that you didn't pay us." The woman glared at him. "I suppose we should leave and let him suffer."

The green haired man nodded and tossed the body on the floor next to Daemon. "Maybe you'll appreciate the company."

Robin looked at the body. "Oh that one lasted about 17 minutes and 43 seconds before finally dying to the drug. Let's see how long you'll last." She smirked evilly.

Daemon shouted after them to let him go. As the two psychopaths left and closed the door, he felt hopeless. He then saw eyes appear on the wall and on his body. He was going crazy.

"No! No!" He screamed out loud before being choked by a hand that appeared.

Outside the room, Zoro had his ears next to the door while Robin still used her powers. He had heard enough. "You're one terrifying woman you know that." Robin smiled at the compliment.

"This was fun. A little tiring for me. But fun." She had been using her abilities to scare the victim. It was nice to act out one of the childhood stories she read.

"We should get going. The marines will be here soon." The two were at the Intergang hideout. Zoro had beaten up everyone here before they got started on Daemon. They had called the marines that the Strawhats were here.

She nodded at that and quickly left. "They'll find the recorder on that person's body. That should be enough for us and they'll stop the Duke." She gave it some thought. "You know maybe next time Chopper should join us." She gave a thought. "I think Chopper has some sodium penthol, which is a slightly lethal truth serum. That would make the interrogation even easier next time."

Zoro shook his head knowing how freaked out Chopper would act if he saw the two act this way.

"Just admit it. This was fun." Robin smiled at him.

He preferred fighting over intimidating people. He grudgingly didn't do much other than what she asked. Still, he still found himself saying "Yes." That made Robin smile even more and she walked away. Zoro ran after her to clear it up. "Wait. I still would have liked to cut something."

"But you already cut through 50 gang members."

"That's … besides the point." That gang wasn't a challenge. "I still think we should have gotten Brook." That would have made the victim think he was haunted.

"But it wouldn't have been the two of us." He blushed at the implication she said. When he heard her giggle, he knew she was just playing with him.

"Don't say stuff like that... " Zoro let out quietly. He was feeling a little uncomfortable about what she just implied.

"It's so fun to tease you." Robin saw his embarrassed look. "Besides I mentioned that I wanted Chopper here."

"I don't know whether Chopper would have liked it." Zoro let out honestly. "But it would have been fun. Next time?" Regardless, he had to admit this fact. He had fun scaring someone with Robin.

"Next time." She smiled and nodded back.

* * *

End flashback

"Uh guys." Franky, who was still watching the news, let out. "The Duke has just been found dead."

"Was he trying to escape the marines?" Brook asked.

"Was it by the king?" Sanji had an idea how royalty worked.

Franky gulped. "The news said it was suicide. He was found dead in his room."

"Hmm." Yuuto called out. There was something off about this.

"Don't worry about it Yuuto." Nami pointed out. "Sometimes, we don't get what we want." Yuuto nodded at that.

Luffy called out. "Still. I'm happy to have helped Ace's friend's problem. Who knows maybe we'll meet her again."

* * *

Elsewhere

"Thanks Joker for taking care of the problem we had." The Doerena princess was on the other line. "We didn't know he was backed by Big Mom."

"It's not a problem your grace." Doflamingo said in a slight condescending tone. "It wasn't much of a hassle to send an assassin. You are an important buyer and I would hate to lose our business especially over to Big Mom."

"Daddy would hate that as well. You're more reasonable to make a deal with."

"Fuffuffuffuffu." Doflamingo considered their turn of events. "You said the Strawhats were involved?"

"Right. When my maid reported back to me about the attempt on her life and how pirates rescued her, I wasn't sure who helped. But when there were reports of how Lapen was defeated by Franky of the Strawhats and how the marines told us that they found an accomplice instead of the reported Strawhats. That can't be a coincidence."

"Interesting." It seemed possible that the Strawhats had escaped before the marines came. "Well then I have to admit the Strawhats did us a huge favor then." Whether intentional or not, that didn't matter. Doflamingo was happy to know that he still had an important investor for his business. "I still expect another shipment for your kingdom's metal."

"Likewise, we expect good money and the weapons when the times come. Daddy is waiting for the opportunity to go to war with the other countries when he's ready. He's tired of pretending to be a peaceful king."

"All in good time." Doflamingo hung up and smirked. [3]

* * *

On the way to their next Island

"Franky. You might want to read this." Yuuto held the newspaper to the ones in the room.

Franky hurriedly read the newspaper. "But… it's a picture of General Franky…." He started crying a little bit. He wanted the recognition.

"That's good for us." Yuuto called out. He needed to get ready to plan for the next place they were going. Jimbei had informed them of a nearby associate of the Big Mom Pirates went missing after a fight with the marines.

"But you did beat Lapen who just had a starting bounty of 50 million." Brook pointed out encouragingly. "Wish I had seen the fight."

Usopp tried to comfort the crying cyborg. "I didn't think you of all people would be the first one in the crew to get an increase."

"I would have gotten a larger bounty if I had been able to fire my General Franky Laser!" He pouted.

Nonetheless, Luffy was excited. "Shishi. I'm happy that the world gets to know how strong my crew is. That's not bad." Luffy happily pointed to the bounty posted on the newspaper.

Cyborg Franky – 64 Million Berris [4]

* * *

[1] This character is in canon and from Ace's story.

We expanded a little bit of Yuuto's family. As you may notice, this is a long setup that will come up again much later. This plot point will come again (much later).

[2] This guy is an optional boss from the video game Skies of Arcadia Legends. The game is about pirates so I will write about other characters from this game making a similar appearance.

The idea of Franky using one of the Strawhats' moves was mentioned during the Timeskip training. Franky missed the Strawhats enough he made General Franky fight in some ways that reminded him of the Strawhats.

[3] So, in this case, the Strawhats actually unintentionally helped out Doflamingo maintain his deal with Doerena Kingdom. I wanted to write a part that showed that these adventures they're having do have an effect to the entire Underworld/ Pirate World.

[4] Some good things that came out to help Luffy become Pirate King

Franky gets a small bounty increase (because the pirate they fought had a smaller bounty.)

They stopped Big Mom from controlling the Doerena Kingdom. (However, Doflamingo still has business deals with them).

(More recently during the last month) I realized more that the crew's increasing their bounties would also help Luffy become more likely to be respected as Gonko. That will be explained in more detail in the next chapter.

Also to the guest that mentioned World Seeker. I actually did have that idea since the game came out. It'll be a long time before I'm at that part, I'm also changing it in the sense that Luffy won't be the main character for that saga. I'm curious about the plot of the other DLC as well so I will wait for that to come out.

There will be slower updates, but I still plan on writing this story.

Please leave a review about what you liked or disliked.


	44. Chapter 44 The Cowards

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece or chapter 959.

Wow, it's been almost a year since I started this fanfic. So let me share a moment of appreciation.

Thanks for the reads, follows, favs, pms, and reviews!

Special thanks to the ones who have followed and read my story since the beginning. Special shoutout to Gamelover41592, Soledge1, and Gen3sian for reviewing the most chapters since the beginning of my story.

If you've followed my story since the beginning but never reviewed or pmed, that's fine. I'm personally like that too. I may not know exactly who you are but still want to say thanks for continuing to read my story even now.

I will try to respond to reviews in a pm more often if I feel like I need to.

If you're just joining my story, thanks! I hope I do my best not to disappoint.

Unfortunately a short chapter, and I have no idea when the next time I will update will be. But I do plan on continuing this story no matter how long it takes.

* * *

The Cowards

Thousand Sunny

"So why are we going after this guy?" Luffy asked, simultaneously pointing at the bounty of 280 million and picking his nose with the other hand. "Gear Ward?"

"Geirald." Nami corrected exasperatedly before looking at Yuuto. "Especially if he's in marine custody."

Yuuto elaborated. "He's under Big Mom's crew and was just recently 'captured' by the marines." Jimbei had privately told him the aforementioned pirate wanted to quit Big Mom's crew. Yuuto stared at all the members to see if they were Robin and Franky closed their eyes seeing where this was going.

"Are you saying he let himself get caught?" Zoro pointed out the implication. Sanji and Brook nodded at that showing that's what he was thinking.

Robin shook her head. "Not intentionally. But still, he's could offer a deal with the marines. A lighter sentence in Impel Down."

"Or protection." Franky pointed. Yuuto smiled, thankful that he had Robin's and Franky's expertise in this matter.

Usopp raised his hand and asked. "Why didn't he just quit Big Mom's crew?"

Zoro, Yuuto, Robin, and Franky turned and stared at him. They heard about the consequences of what it was like to leave Big Mom's crew. Yuuto sighed. "The only way to leave Big Mom's crew is to go through a 'roulette'. Every result in that roulette leads to death."

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper gasped hearing that.

"I heard that you can lose your entire lifespan." Zoro commented from what Mihawk mentioned.

"Or a body part." Robin stared at the space. "I wonder what it would be like to only have one arm."

Seeing some of the crew become even more frightened, Franky continued. "We should be thankful that our captain's not like that. Big Mom takes whoever is in her crew very seriously."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Sanji asked.

Yuuto grinned. "We need to distract the marines before we can ask him about what Big Mom is doing. Offer that we can eventually protect him. Robin, you have a plan?"

Robin smiled and turned to Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, and Brook. Sanji swooned over at whatever her plan was happy to carry it out.

Scene Change

Doorbell rings*

Marine Captain Natasha grumbled. "Why are they ringing the doorbell? They would just come in." She opened the door and saw, ( instead of her partner and their prisoner), three strangers, a red haired woman carrying a cake and two intimidating looking men.

"Hello!" Nico Robin, in disguise, greeted friendly.

"We just moved two doors down." Natasha raised her eyes hearing. She wasn't aware that anyone moved recently. "I'm Rose Elena. This is my husband Rose Dudley." Robin pointed to Zoro who had dyed his hair blue with a fake scar on his cheek.

Zoro grumbled. "How you doing?" Natasha noticed the reluctance in his voice.

"And that's our nephew Matt." Robin continued happily.

Chopper, who was in his Heavy Point, just waved his hand eagerly.

Natasha gulped at the size of their nephew. He was huge and had large hands perfect for choking someone to death.

"Is your husband around?" Robin asked.

Natasha blinked her eyes before narrowing her eyes at the sensitive topic. "What?" She wasn't married; she only shared this place with her partner Lester. She had no romantic interest in him.

None whatsoever.

"Yes your husband. We heard that you two are so sweet."

Before Natasha could even respond to that, 'Dudley' interrupted. "Let me ask you a question. What kind of security system are you using?" Zoro inspected the doors and the sides of the house. "Cause you can never be too careful these days."

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously especially the way he was inspecting the house, Natasha continued. "You know what? This really isn't a good time." She began closing the door as if to protect herself. "So if you two could come back another time…."

Robin interrupted her. "Oh." She raised her tray of food. "Before I forget." She offered to Natasha which she hesitantly accepted. "We baked you a cake." Yuuto actually baked the cake but she didn't need to know that. "Just something to thank you for letting us join your neighborhood!"

Natasha shut the door in front of them. She thought it was weird how they had random strangers move in. She didn't even know that the house two doors down had someone move in and how sudden it was. She looked through the peep hole.

'Elena' spookily stood still in front of the door.

Natasha flinched and went back to her room. She threw away the cake.

Outside, Robin motioned to Zoro and Chopper that they were done with their part. It was on to the next part of what she had planned.

As they walked back, Robin reported. _"We gave them the tray. They'll probably throw away the cake but keep the tray…"_ Now they should be suspicious enough for Natasha to follow them.

On the other line, Sanji grumbled quietly. "How could people waste food like that?" Brook shushed him to keep quiet for their part. They didn't want to get caught.

 _"Perfect. We'll also be able to hear whatever they plan over there. Thanks to the bug I made."_ Franky called out.

 _"How are things on your end Sanji and Brook?"_ Robin asked. " _Will the marines chase after you soon?"_

With Sanji and Brook

Sanji and Brook were at a hot springs on a very important stealth mission.

 _"They will. If we get caught."_ Brook whispered.

Sanji privately whispered to Brook. "We are so lucky that the crew told us to get in trouble so that some of the marines would be chasing after us. They didn't say what exactly we had to do."

"Quiet. When it's time, maybe I can go see some panties." This was an important stealth mission for both of them.

 _"What are you two doing exactly to get the marines' attention?"_ Yuuto asked. He was with Luffy and Nami.

 _"Stealing._ " They both responded immediately; it was their cover story. Yuuto raised his eyes hearing that.

 _"What exactly?"_ Every Strawhat heard Nami's eager tone.

Sanji and Brook stayed quiet. They knew better than to tell the truth. Especially to her. She would stop them if they told the truth. What Nami didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

 _"Sanji-kun. Brook._ " There was a little fake sweetness in that voice. _"What are you stealing? Remember that 70% of the profits belongs to me."_

Another awkward silence followed. The crew members knew that Nami pretended that they didn't have any of the money from Gild Tesoro.

 _"Sanji? Brook?"_

 _"You better not be ignoring us on purpose?"_ Yuuto called out.

 _"Sorry. We just got noticed by security. We won't be talking to you guys soon"_ Sanji cried out. He then poked Brook who cried privately knowing that he would never be able to see panties.

 _"You guys alright?"_ Yuuto called out worriedly. No answer. Nami sulked at the lack of treasure they would obtain while Luffy and Yuuto shrugged, assuming they did their part. _"Usopp? Franky? Did you find some gang to beat up?"_

 _"We're on it! We're just waiting for them to show up."_ Franky called out.

 _"I'm telling you. You sent the wrong person for this job. Yuuto could you come over and back us up? My disease that I can't fight without my strong friends is acting up again."_

Yuuto sighed. Still, he was sure Usopp could handle this. _"You got Franky with you."_

With Usopp and Franky

Usopp and Franky were waiting around in a bar where the gang Basnigs were. Franky was annoyed at Usopp's last comment and reminded him. _"I just got a bounty raise."_ He then did his signature pose.

Usopp mumbled privately how that wasn't real assuring.

Still Franky heard that and reprimanded Usopp making sure they weren't communicating on their comms. "Remember that we didn't want Yuuto to come out. We're distracting marines and he can't exactly fight marines."

"Well excuse me. I'll feel better if we have our bodyguard with us."

"The marines might capture him and 'finish' what they did to him." Franky added.

"If Yuuto can spar with Zoro and give him a workout, I'm sure he can handle most marines."

"Weren't you the one who said Yuuto fell asleep because of some code word that marine said? He mentioned the same thing happened at Marineford. Not to mention he gets a headache whenever he's been fighting marines."

Usopp stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a meek "Oh."

"Listen. We'll be fine without Yuuto." Franky encouraged him. Usopp stayed quiet at that. "Remember that you've gotten stronger as well. We're just causing a fight between two small gangs in this island. The marines will get involved to stop it."

Usopp shook his head. "They're the only gangs on this island."

Franky dismissed his worries. "Exactly. Nothing to worry about it Usopp bro."

Usopp slammed his fist on the table. He had read the recent news. "That's because they killed all the other gangs." Did his crewmate not realize how dangerous these gangs could be?

"Psh. They don't have bounties remember." Franky tried to assuage Usopp's fears. "It's not like they have devil fruit powers."

Usopp groaned hearing that. "Don't jinx it."

All of a sudden, the door bust open. In walked 20 people dressed in a particular uniform that showed they belonged to the rival gang Pontoons. Usopp sweated at the tense atmosphere.

Franky smiled at the incoming action. It seemed they could provoke both of them to start something.

Safehouse

Captain Natasha opened the house to get ready to go meet up with her partner and Geirald. As she was locking the door, she noticed the "family" that had moved in recently slowly driving by.

The nephew, if she remembered correctly, was driving with the woman in the passenger side. The husband looked angry at the turn of events as if he shouldn't be sitting in the back.

As the car drove by slowly, as if on purpose, 'Elena' noticed her and waved.

Natasha couldn't shake off the feeling she had from them. She looked at the car they were driving.

Come to think of it, she didn't see anyone move in two houses down. No moving it was done at night.

Who were they really?

She got in her car and decided to follow them unaware of the eyes that disappeared from her door.

Inside the Car

"Good she's following us." Robin told her crew member. "Chopper, you remember how to get to the store right?"

Chopper nodded while Zoro impatiently barked out. "I know how to get to the store. I should be the one driving. I'll get there faster."

Chopper wanted to glare at Zoro but couldn't. He had to focus on driving and getting to the right location. Robin sighed knowing how _Zoro's_ _sense of direction_ was.

"We need to get to our location on time and for her to be far away from Luffy and Nami as much as possible."

Chopper silently grumbled how they'd get lost in the meantime.

Impatient, Zoro added. "I want to do something."

"You will Zoro. You will." Robin silently laughed to herself what she had planned.

Zoro folded his arms. "Why do I get the feeling that Luffy's having the most fun out of all of us?"

Chopper added. "With Nami and Yuuto babysitting him." He shook his head pitying them.

With Luffy, Nami, and Yuuto

Luffy was actually well behaved and hadn't gotten himself in trouble…

Yet…

Luffy, Nami, and Yuuto had found Geirwald and Commodore Lester eating in a nearby restaurant.

Nami sighed. At least, now she figured out a way to make Luffy listen to her. "Luffy, remember to come in after I give the bad food." They didn't want to fight with the marine this time. "If you don't, I'll make sure to ask Sanji-kun and Yuuto to feed you bad meat and Chopper won't help you with whatever stomach problems you may have."

Yuuto glared at Luffy to show how serious this threat was. Luffy didn't want his stomach to hurt after eating bad meat and nodded his head furiously. "I need my meat! It's a crime to eat terrible meat."

Nami sighed. They were grateful that Luffy didn't realize he tried some rotten meat before and Luffy never had any stomach issues. She entered the restaurant, ready to start her new job as a waitress. She smiled at the prospect of making a little extra money on the side.

In the meantime, Yuuto would make sure Luffy would wait outside until the marine needed to go to the bathroom. It was the bodyguard's responsibility to make sure Luffy would stay out of trouble.

Yuuto sighed. "Where do you think you are going?" Like a child caught by his parent, Luffy slouched over and walked back. Yuuto shook his head not wanting to admit that sometimes, Luffy was the hardest person he ever tried to protect.

It was only a matter of time when Luffy would …well… Luffy things up.

Elsewhere

As Zoro, Chopper, and Robin went back to the car, Zoro carrying a shovel, asked " Is she still watching us?"

Robin points to the trunk to signal to put what they just bought. Zoro obliged while Robin pointed out. "She's two rows over. She's been there like watching us like the paparazzi."

Chopper asked. "Are we being suspicious enough?" He is handed some rope and duct tape by Robin. Chopper gulped while looking at the shovel inside the trunk. "Never mind."

"Don't forget the tarp." Robin pointed out before grabbing the tarp out from the cart.

Zoro added. "We're going to need that."

Robin looked in the trunk and pondered. "Maybe we should have bought zip ties as well." She looked at the rope closely. "It seems like the rope could be cut through or bitten through."

Chopper gulped. Chopper didn't want to admit that he or animal could have easily done that.

"Zip ties would have been an immediate red flag." Zoro added. "The cashier was already nervous when we checked out." He remembered the poor anxious girl who checked them out.

"Hm." Robin considered and motioned toward the marine. "She should be worried." Robin pointed out.

"Well, this place doesn't scream Serial Killer R' Us." Zoro sarcastically added.

"Well, I'm scared of what you can buy at hardware stores now."

"Ah well," Robin continued as if she didn't hear Chopper. "We can just go to the next spot then." She motioned to the car where the other members followed.

A slight time skip

In a field, Zoro and Chopper are digging with their shovels they bought. Chopper couldn't use his Horn point to reveal himself. Robin kept a look out as to where the marine captain was. After a while, she yawned. "I'm tired." Zoro and Chopper glared at Robin.

"You're tired." Chopper commented in disbelief. He and Zoro had been digging for at least 20 minutes.

"Must be all that standing around that you're doing and looking you did." Zoro retorted sarcastically while Chopper secretly nodded.

"What you wanted something to do earlier." Robin reminded him. She looked at the sunset approaching. "It'll be dark soon."

Chopper's animal instincts acted a little seeing that he was typically the prey. He started sweating hearing a little hearing that. Good thing he was with Zoro. Zoro would protect him. "That makes it hard to see." Zoro added and looked around. "No clear sight from the roads. Far away from civilization"

"The first thing that will find a body will be a coyote…" Robin morbidly added.

With his animal instincts kicking in, Chopper whimpered hearing that. "Now I'm scared." He didn't want to be killed.

"I'm here." Zoro added protectively while Robin nodded.

"You're both what's scaring me." Chopper frantically yelled.

Robin looked at Zoro who couldn't resist a smug smile. "Wait. I just noticed the marine officer left." They started hearing sirens approaching them. "We should run. That should divert some attention away from Luffy now."

With Usopp and Franky

"You jinxed it." Usopp shouted at Franky.

Grinning at that response, Franky commented, "On the bright side, we took out everyone else. Just not the Pontoon leader with his annoying ability." He tossed the unconscious Basnig leader to so both of them could hide behind the bar. He peered over and his eyes shone.

"Annoying is an understatement. He turns his arm to a _freaking_ _cannon_!" Usopp retorted to get him back on track. Normally Usopp's eyes would shine seeing that. But the possibility of being killed outweighed his amazement.

"He hasn't fired after his first shot." Franky was interested in the technology how his arm could change to a cannon like a cyborg. "Pity, it's not a laser canon and shoots cannonballs." He wanted to compare lasers.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be!"

"He doesn't seem like an inventor." Franky commented as if he analyzed the situation.

"Surrender. Both of you." The gang leader called out. He was still waiting to reload. "I don't want the marines to come after us."

Usopp and Franky looked at each other and whatever was left of the tavern. Too late for that. They were both taking cover under whatever was left of the bar counter top. Thankfully, they heard sirens.

The gang leader sighed when he heard the commotion outside. It was only a matter of time before the marines came. "This was why I stopped becoming a pirate." He mumbled.

Hearing that, Usopp asked, "What do you mean you stopped being a pirate?"

Examining both Usopp and Franky, the leader sighed and turned his arm back to normal as if they were going to be arrested. "Seeing that we're going to be caught by the marines, I'll tell you. I used to be a pirate of a crew a year ago."

Usopp and Franky nodded while noticing his defeatist attitude. He paused before continuing. "I was just minor gunner. I didn't have a bounty. But when some of my crew got destroyed by Kaido, we were soon captured by some crazy scientist." He took another breath not wanting to relive the memories. "I escaped and left whatever was my crew there."

"You abandoned your crew there?" Franky demanded.

"I would have done-" Franky glared at him reminding him that all of them would have come back for him. Especially Luffy.

"I wanted to survive." The retired pirate defended himself.

"You abandoned them." Franky barked out.

"We were too weak!"

Usopp paused hearing that remembering his former insecurities.

The retired pirate examined them. "Who are you two?" No response, but the look on both of their faces gave it away. "You should stop before you go further into the New World. You really don't know what you're getting yourself into there. Yonko are nothing to whatever you faced before in the Grand Line before." The two Strawhats gave a pensive stare at each other remembering what had happened to them at Sabaody. "You should probably join yourselves to the Yonko if you want to join. There's no way you could accomplish anything in your crew."

Franky shook his head while Usopp would have voiced that recommendation if it weren't for Luffy's stubbornness. Franky voiced out. "You don't know how super our captain is!"

The gang leader scoffed. "I strongly doubt that. Kaido's a real monster if we only fought with Jack's underlings." He looked at Franky and Usopp one more time. "Tch. Your captain must be weak if he has you guys as part of his main crew. He's never going to amount to anything with you guys holding him back."

Franky narrowed his eyes and was about to fire his laser.

Only to be beaten by Usopp who had already fired at the enemy while trapping him. Franky looked at Usopp who seemed angry. Usopp glared at the leader at the unintentional insult. "I may be weak compared to my captain. But my captain will become Pirate King no matter what." Usopp approached the victim. "Don't make fun of his dream if you don't know what you're talking about."

A taunt came out. "Hm. The scaredy cat actually fought for once."

Usopp stiffened at the fact. Franky had taken out everyone else. Still, he stammered. "You don't know. He's going to become Pirate King."

"With your help. I strongly doubt it."

Usopp threw a punch.

Surprised, Franky tugged at Usopp. "Don't listen to him Usopp. Let's go." They did their job.

"Wait." Usopp walked in front of the former pirate and examined him. "It takes a coward to know one."

"What do you mean?"

Turning to the other coward, Usopp called him out. "You were scared of the Yonko. You don't want to face them." Franky raised his eyes. Where was Usopp going with this?

"I'm scared of the them too." Franky deflated a little bit. "My crew declared war against one of the Yonko so now I have trouble sleeping at night. "

Franky sweat dropped at the slight lie, knowing Usopp really stayed up late working on the side projects they had. Who wouldn't want to play with robots and lasers after all?

Besides if Usopp really had trouble sleeping at night, he should have had trouble sleeping back when they declared war against the World Government.

Franky looked at Usopp and decided not to mention any of those earlier points.

"Everywhere we go, we always end up in some trouble because of what our stupid captain did or who we're fighting. Every plan we're in I just want to do nothing and not get ourselves killed in our adventure." Franky continued to be nervous at what Usopp was saying.

"But I have my nakama with me. Even if I am a coward." That gave Franky a smile.

"You don't understand how scary they are."

Another punch. "I don't know how scary they are but I've heard. My crewmates remind me of that every time." Franky made a mental note to tell Yuuto and especially Robin to chill with the Yonko activities. "But I'm more afraid of letting my comrades down. It's my role as a sniper to snipe my crew's enemies. From a safe distance!" he added.

Franky could only smirk in approval. There was something in the way that Usopp said that gave him pride.

Turning to Franky quickly, Usopp, with his eyes wide, called out. "We need to get out of here before the marines capture us and put us in Impel Down!"

Franky inwardly sighed. Still, that was a moment of growth.

With Luffy and Yuuto

"Don't move Luffy." Yuuto said with his eyes closed. It had been about ten minutes since Nami went in. Yuuto could only imagine Luffy trying to get away from him while he meditated.

"But I want to play with the animals." Luffy pleaded and pointed at the birds. "I promise when it's time for us to go in I'll go in immediately."

Before Yuuto could even consider the deal, the two Strawhats noticed a man walk past them. He seemed normal but there was a certain atmosphere he carried. He then walked into the restaurant.

The two Strawhats looked at each other. Luffy became a little serious and stated "Let's just go in." Yuuto nodded and they both hurried in.

As both Luffy and Yuuto entered, Nami looked from the table she was serving at in surprise but didn't say anything. She nodded signaling to them that she just put the drug in the marine's drink.

Yuuto stared and noticed the man from earlier found a seat close to the marine and Geirald. He kept some hidden glances at them as if ready to pounce.

Inwardly shaking his head at how complicated the situation got, Yuuto could only try to warn the others. He was about to whisper to Luffy to watch out for them when Luffy already spoke. "He's strong and seems dangerous."

Before Yuuto could signal to Nami that something was wrong, the marine, feeling the effects of the drug, stood up to go to the bathroom. The unknown stranger also stood up and approached him. He slapped the marine in the stomach. The marine fell unconscious and bled from his stomach.

Pandemonium followed. Guests panicked and left the restaurant. Geirald stood up to flee to the backdoor leading to an alley. Nami looked at Luffy who immediately signaled to her to follow after him.

Yuuto looked at Luffy and nodded. He would to engage with the unknown third party while Luffy would follow after Nami.

"Stop. Who are you?" Yuuto intercepted the threat could go out the back door and slid to a kung fu stance.

No response.

"How did you make him bleed?" Yuuto was curious. He didn't see any blades. Hearing no response again and narrowing his eyes questionably, Yuuto pointed out. "Then again, I suppose the better question would be who you work for." Yuuto stared at the assailant. Another silence.

The stranger just smirked and tried to run past Yuuto causing Yuuto to run after him.

As Yuuto tried punching him, the stranger quickly turned around and caught his hand, latching onto him. Yuuto felt blades, which were hidden on the stranger's palm, and the sharp pain that followed. Before the enemy could move his blades around to try and tear apart any of Yuuto's muscles, Yuuto kicked him away.

Yuuto looked at his enemy. "Shuko eh?" Yuuto mentally cursed at his carelessness, knowing that he should have used armament Haki to protect himself. "The Society of Assassins." The assassin's eyes widened hearing that. "Oh please. I know about the works in the Underworld. Your patricular group loves to use ninja weapons." He put on his trademarks gloves that were slightly modeled after the weapon shuko.

The assassin's interest peaked at who he was fighting against when he saw those claws.

Yuuto thought that this wasn't good if Big Mom hired a prominent organization in the Underworld.

With Luffy and Nami

Nami had been chasing after Geirald in a farther alley. "Please don't kill me. I won't reveal anything about Big Mom." Geirald cried. He was sure he knew which Underworld assassin Big Mom decided to hire from.

"We're not trying to kill you. In fact, we're trying to protect you." Nami yelled as she followed.

Geirald stopped running. "Really?" He stopped to look at Nami. "Wait who are you?"

Before Nami could think of a fake name, she heard a cry. "Nami! Are you ok? It's me Luffy!" Soon enough Luffy appeared next to her. As he landed he pointed to Geirald. "You must be Gear Ward." He looked at him closely. "You look like a cue ball."

"Don't insult me because I'm bald!" Geirald yelled out. He then recognized who he was talking to. "Wait a minute. Luffy. As in Monkey D. Luffy?"

Luffy nodded. Nami sighed.

"That's who's going to protect me." He said in disbelief. "Some nobody. Big Mom is going to kill you. I'm better off by myself."

Luffy shrugged at that not caring what others thought. However, Nami felt the need to defend her captain. "I don't care who you think you are and however strong the people you're running from. That's nothing compared to the future Pirate King."

Geirald dismissed the notion and taunted. "I just see a bunch of kids playing pirates. Trust me, I looked at your crew's bounties." He looked at Luffy and then at Nami. "I think I remember you now. You're the navigator. If I remember correctly, your bounty's 25 million?"

"30 million." Nami corrected. She remembered her bounty since Enies Lobby.

Geirald smiled a little lecherously. "That's nothing. But still, at least you have something going for you."

With her face red, Nami indignantly yelled out. "Hey!"

Geirald focused back and looked between the Strawhats. "I suppose it's good the rest of your crew wasn't there at Marineford." He ignored the harsh stares he felt from those two. "Your entire crew would have been wiped out."

Angry at the insult, Luffy tried to punch him. Geirald caught Luffy's punch easily. "If you're serious about becoming Pirate King, you need a stronger crew not a crew that's useless. Everyone in Big Mom's crew has a bounty more than 50 million." Geirwald continued. Nami faltered a little hearing that. What if she wasn't strong enough for Luffy's dream?

"Shut up cueball." Geirwald glared at that remark. Luffy wasn't going to have anyone insult his crew. "I have nakama who aren't strong as I am, but I still want them to be with me. I'd never throw them away. I need them." Hearing that reassured Nami.

Luffy threw another punch causing Geirwald spit out. "You're going to regret that idea if you're serious about your dream. Your crew's done nothing compared to what Big Mom's crew done. I'm not even talking about Big Mom's Sweet Commanders. They've killed hundreds of pirates and can hold their own against the marines."

"You don't know what my crew will accomplish." Luffy quickly shouted out and pointed at Nami before she could fully process Geirwald's earlier statement. "She's the best navigator in the world." Nami felt a little embarrassed. "She will draw a map of the entire world." Nami smiled at that.

Just like how Luffy will become Pirate King. She added mentally.

"Tch. I've heard that way too many rookies lose to the sweet commanders. Big Mom didn't even need to show herself." Geirwald dismissed their dreams. Luffy looked ready to fight and Nami got her clim-a-tact ready.

"Luffy, let me handle this." Nami felt that she needed to validate to someone else, especially someone from the Yonko's crew, that she was a threat as well. The captain nodded showing his trust. She looked at the clouds to see if there were any favorable clouds for rain. She smirked, seeing the stray cumulonimbus and the extra power that could give her.

Geirwald taunted cockily. "I'll give you a free shot." Unaware of the clouds around him, he wondered how much this little woman hurt him

Luffy watched as he saw her mischievous smirk and knew what was going to happen. He never did experienced being shocked but seeing his crew members experience with it only told him how much it was going to hurt.

"Thunder Tempo!"

Lightning zapped Geirwald enough for him to fall to the ground but not enough to paralyze him. Nami smiled at her handiwork. Still, she wished she could have done more.

"I'll admit that hurt and you caught me off guard." Geirwald said as he struggled to get up. "But that's nothing compared to what Big Mom can do with Zeus."

"I'm sure Nami can be much scarier than the Yonko." Luffy pointed out much to Nami's irritation. "She gets mad over every berri we lose."

She bonked him. "That's because berri is the most important thing to me." Well, that was a slight lie. She turned to him and reprimanded him. "You shouldn't have spent you money earlier"

"I'm sorry I spent my money on meat!" Luffy defended himself. "I was starving!"

"Sanji fed you 10 minutes before you went to go buy more food!" Nami started to strangle him. "You should focus on what we're trying to do here!"

"Nami!" He coughed out. "Are you trying to kill me?" Another cough. "He's getting away." He weakly pointed out.

Nami looked and saw Geirwald with a female marine, who they presumed to be Captain Natasha. She let go of her hold on Luffy. "Luffy, catch them!" She added hurriedly. She was going to be blamed for this. Natasha responded by throwing a smoke bomb leaving the Strawhats coughing. As the smoke cleared, Luffy and Nami coughed and saw no one else.

"Luffy, can you track them?"

He shook his head. "I can't sense them. They're too far now."

"What part of training of Observation Haki did you do then?" He looked embarrassed hearing Nami's question.

"I'm better at dodging attacks than Yuuto and I can tell people apart now." Luffy defended himself. "Let's find Yuuto." He grabbed Nami much to her embarrassment and she yelped. She was being held bridal style. "Trust me Nami. This will be fun." He grinned as he started swinging around the alley.

Nami knew better than to scream because of that would attract even more attention. She would try to remain calm at the heights.

After a couple swings, this was starting to feel comfortable. The motion behind it. It was just her and Luffy. She couldn't help but smile at this even though it was reckless. If only this moment could last longer.

As if someone wanted to ruin her wish, Luffy landed and cried out "Found Yuuto!" She looked and saw Yuuto standing over an unconscious body. As Luffy set Nami down, he stared surprised. "You killed him?"

Nami gasped in shock at the extreme measures Yuuto took. Yuuto shook his head and looked over both of them. "No, I won and was about to interrogate him. And then, he ate a poison hidden in his mouth." He stared at Luffy. "What about Geirwald?"

"The marine took him away. She used a smoke bomb. We were hoping you could track him."

"A smoke bomb?" Yuuto asked to make sure to which both Nami and Luffy nodded. "She was by herself?" They both nodded. Yuuto looked a little panicked and called out. "Shoot! He might be dead."

"What? Cue ball's dead?"

Yuuto glared at him. "You better not be calling me that. I'm slowly becoming bald." Luffy and Nami looked confused while Yuuto sighed and pointed toward the middle of his head.

"I see it!" Luffy cried out. There was a small bald spot there.

Nami laughed while Yuuto glared at them. "I've accepted it. It runs in the family. My uncle was also balding too." Yuuto sighed. "I can't sense Geirwald anymore. I think he's dead."

"But she was a marine."

"Fake disguises. She's might have been another member of the Society." He looked at the two. "Luffy, we should just go to somewhere else. We should leave this island. Two marines are dead."

Thousand Sunny

Yuuto recounted that their target had been killed by the Society of Assassins, so it didn't go according to their plan. Sanji, Robin, and Franky flinched hearing that.

"Will this Society of Assassins be going after us?" Usopp asked. "I heard stories about how most assassin groups will try to kill anyone who tries to stop them or about them? They kill everyone they know just to get to them." Nami and Chopper looked scared hearing Usopp's imagination.

Sanji puffed out. "It's not their style." Yuuto, Robin, and Franky nodded. "Otherwise, they would have to kill everyone. They want to limit their casualties."

Noticing who answered, Yuuto asked. "How do you know that?"

Sanji shrugged it off. He didn't want to mention how his real family had business with them when he was younger. "That's not important. To them killing more people would mean extra work. They're not chasing after us. Besides if they did," He then did a gallant pose. "I will protect Nami-chan and Robin-shwan from harm."

All the other males groaned hearing that. Robin laughed in good fun while Nami just smiled ready to take advantage of him again.

In the meantime, Sanji gave a fake smile. He didn't want to meet his siblings' in-laws if the arrangement had worked after all.

"Anything else that happened?" Yuuto asked. Nami and Usopp both flinched at that but decided not to let the others know. They both resolved not to be seen as the weak link in the crew.

Luffy then laughed and pointed. "Yuuto's balding!"

Only Sanji openly laughed at that. Nami smiled in amusement while Usopp and Robin shrugged. They already knew about it; they were the hair stylists of the crew and never thought to mention it. Everyone else didn't really care.

Yuuto glared at both Luffy and Sanji. Sanji openly taunted. "Man, Yuuto, once you're bald, is Hancock-hime going to stay with you?"

Smirking at his question, Yuuto admitted out. "She knows. She promised she could help out." Yuuto then smiled remembering her offer she gave. It was slightly weird but sweet.

If it bothered him, she would to cut some of her hair to make a wig for him.

* * *

Elsewhere

"Yeah the job's done. I had to kill the marines in order to get close." The female assassin wiped the blood away from her katana while talking to her leader. She looked over at the dead body of Geirwald.

On the den den mushi, the leader replied. "Excellent work. Big Mom will pay handsomely for the reward. What about your new partner?"

She shrugged and replied back. "Dead. He was weak. He lost to some pirate before killing himself." She pondered for a moment and hesitated. She knew she had to say this. "You remember we tried to steal some seastone gloves from that craftsman from Wano." Another silence. It was always a sore topic. "I think I found someone with them."

She felt a chill through a spine and she flinched at his question. "Who has them?" She gulped. "We were supposed to reverse engineer them for our entire organization!"

She hesitated before replying. "I believe someone from the Strawhat crew. I'm not sure who."

A pause. "Isn't that where Black Leg Sanji is? Our old associate the Vinsmokes have been looking for him."

She sighed hearing that. She didn't like any of the Vinsmoke men; they were all perverts. "No. It's not him. It could be that Fox guy or someone new they have."

"I see." A chill followed when she realized her leader was still thinking about the Vinsmokes. "Still. It would be nice to have Vinsmokes' technology with our weapons and our skill set."

The female assassin wasn't looking forward to where this was going. Still that was a conversation for another time. "What are my orders?"

"Pursue after the Strawhats. Steal the gloves and kidnap Black Leg. The Vinsmokes will listen to us and their demands when we give them back their missing son. The Society of Assassins will be more powerful than ever if everything falls in place."

* * *

The reason why I called this chapter cowards was because of the main focus I had with Usopp, Nami, and Geirwald who are all cowardly.

If you've been following the recent chapters, it's really hard to compare the current Strawhat crew with the other Yonko crew and what they've done. I have to admit it's quite an uphill battle, but I look forward to seeing if Oda does it.

I have also been incredibly lucky that some of the plot points that I had planned out (in the long run) worked really well with what Oda's recent revelations.

Until next time! Please leave a review, comments, or pms!


End file.
